Nearly 100 missing in trawler capsize in Bay

---

A man drowned while about 100 others went missing as a mechanised boat with outbound people capsized in the Bay off Teknaf coast near the tourist resort in Cox's Bazar early Sunday, reports UNB.
Local sources said, the boat, carrying over 100 passengers, sank near Shahparir Dip at the dead of night while another trawler was picking them in a bid to traffic them out of the country.
Police Super Banoj Kumar Majumder said, they were investigating whether the capsized boat belonged to human traffickers or others.
Some 25/30 people swam ashore while the remaining passengers were still missing after the ferry accident. "Locals saw the survivors in wet clothes on the shore, and, on suspicion, informed the Police," said one villager.
On information, the Police and BDR conducted a rescue operation, and recovered the body of an unidentified man, aged about 30, from near the cross-dam.
No more body was found until evening because of ebb tide in the Bay, but floating bodies might be found during the high tide, said the locals.
Witnesses said, an identified human-trafficking syndicate brought some 200 Rohingas and Bangladeshi together on Saturday midnight for sending them to Malaysia, promising them a bright future.
A number of sources said, some local syndicates have been involved in trafficking people, mainly Rohingas from Myanmar, through the Bay. They also said, the law-enforcers have arrested over 100 people and a number of traffickers in the district in the last few months.
Police arrested seven people, including two traffickers, from Peshkarpara and Link Road in the district town.