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After drifting helplessly in the Bay of Bengal for 36 days, two Sri Lankan fishermen rescued by Bangladeshi fishermen off Moheshkhali have expressed profound gratitude to the people who saved their lives.
"They not only rescued us but also fed us, sheltered us and treated us like members of their own family. We can never repay their kindness," said one of the survivors, Sounda Hannadigipiyawating.
Speaking to journalists in his native Sinhala language, later interpreted, Sounda recounted the ordeal he endured with his father, SH Chaminda.
According to Sounda, they set out from Sri Lanka on June 19 for a fishing trip. After completing their catch, the engine of their fishing boat broke down while they were returning home. Swept away by strong currents, they gradually lost their bearings and drifted into the open sea.
During their weeks adrift, they encountered another vessel and hoped for assistance. Instead, its crew allegedly assaulted them and took away their boat's engine, battery, diesel and other valuable equipment, leaving them even more vulnerable.
The father and son then spent another two days without food before a different fishing boat came across them. Its crew gave them biscuits and rice before later returning to tow their vessel towards the Bangladeshi coast.
On Thursday night, a group of fishermen from Moheshkhali rescued the father-son duo near Sonarchar in the Bay of Bengal and brought them ashore.
The Bangladeshi fishermen said the survivors indicated through gestures that they had managed to stay alive partly by eating raw fish while stranded at sea.
The two fishermen are currently under police protection in Moheshkhali.
Moheshkhali Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md Abdus Sultan confirmed that both men are Sri Lankan nationals. He said they had been kept in safe custody while authorities coordinated with the Sri Lankan Embassy to arrange their repatriation.
"We have already contacted the Sri Lankan Embassy. The necessary diplomatic and administrative procedures are underway to send them back home. Discussions are also being held with the Department of Social Services to ensure their care until they return to Sri Lanka," the OC said.
The two Sri Lankan fishermen said they wish to return safely to their family and homeland.
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