Identities of 10 people, whose bodies were found inside the cold storage of a trawler pulled ashore by locals in Cox's Bazar early yesterday, have been confirmed after their relatives saw the bodies at the morgue.
The trawler had been missing for nearly two weeks.
Cox's Bazar Superintendent of Police Mohammad Mahfuzul Islam told this morning that 10 people have been identified but police have been working to reconfirm it.
The bodies will be handed over to their relatives after all legal procedures are completed, he said.
The deceased are: trawler owner Shamsul Alam, 23, son of Rafiq Mia of Chonkhola para of Hoanak; Saiful Islam, 18, son of Delwar Hossain; Sawkat Ullah, 18, son of Zafar Alam; Osman Gani, 17, son of Musa Ali; Saifullah, 23, son of Sahab Mia; Parvez Mosharraf, 14, son of Mohammad Ali; and Nurul Kabir, 28, son of Mohammad Hossain of Mitachari village of Shaplapur union in Maheshkhali upazila; Saiful Islam, 34, son of Kabir Hossain of Konakhali union of Chakaria upazila; Mohammad Shahjahan, 35, son of Shah Alam; and Tarique Zia, 25, son of Jasim Uddin of Chiringa area of Chakaria municipality of Chakaria upazila.
The bodies were taken to Cox's Bazar Sadar Hospital morgue yesterday afternoon. On information, relatives of the deceased went to the morgue and identified the bodies.
Rokeya Akter, wife of trawler owner Shamsul, told reporters in front of the morgue last night, "I recognised my husband from his clothes."
Close relatives of the nine other deceased similarly identified the bodies. Mohammad Mir Kashem, chairman of Hoanak union parishad of Maheshkhali upazila, told that he came to know that the medium-sized fishing trawler owned by Shamsul Alam left for deep sea for fishing on April 7.
A few days later, the relatives of some of the fishermen of the trawler contacted him and said that there was no information about the trawler and the fishermen.
The relatives were then requested to inform police about the matter, the chairman said.
The 10 bodies were found on a fishing trawler that locals pulled ashore in Nazirartek area of Cox's Bazar yesterday, nearly two weeks after the trawler went missing in the Bay.
Fire service and police recovered the bodies in the afternoon.
After the recovery, Rafiqul Islam, officer-in-charge (OC) of Cox's Bazar Sadar Police Station, said they believed that the trawler was attacked by a gang of robbers at least 10 to 12 days earlier. All the bodies were inside the cold storage of the fishing trawler.
All the victims had their hands and feet tied, said the police official.
