NEW DELHI, July 14 (Xinhua) -- The bodies of nine fishermen had been recovered in India's eastern state of West Bengal, while six others remained missing, after a trawler carrying them had gone missing on July 2 amid rough weather, said a state government official on Tuesday.
The incident was reported from West Bengal's Sundarbans area, famous for marshy mangrove forests. The ill-fated fishermen hailed from Digha, Nadia, Howrah, East Medinipur areas of West Bengal, and also from the neighbouring state of Odisha.
The rescue operation was still being carried out by the personnel of the Indian Coast Guard, the Indian Navy, the West Bengal Police, the state's fire department and the forest department to locate the missing fishermen.
According to media reports, a group of 15 fishermen had left for fishing on July 2, and thereafter, there was no contact with them for almost a week. Finally, a connection with them was established on July 8 when they gave a distress call saying that their trawler's engine was non-functional. Efforts were made to locate them, but in vain. ■