Pirates kill at least 16 fishermen off Bangladesh

USPA News - The bodies of sixteen fishermen, apparently killed by pirates after their boats were hijacked last week, have been recovered along the coast in southern Bangladesh, police said on Monday. As many as 20 other fishermen are still thought to be missing.

The incidents are believed to have occurred last week when a group of pirates attacked three fishing boats near the island of Kutubdia in the Bay of Bengal, located off the fishing town of Cox`s Bazar in the country`s Chittagong Division. One of the boats, Allahar Daan-1, returned on Saturday and reported the incident. Police said Monday that sixteen unidentified bodies were seen floating in the Kutubdia Channel, after which they were recovered by a local fishing boat. The bodies of the victims were later taken to Shkerkhil police station in Banshkhali Upazila where efforts will be made to identify them. Police said the hands and feet of the victims were tied together, and investigators believe they were thrown into the Bay of Bengal to drown after pirates seized their boats. There have been no signs of the missing boats but it is believed they were carrying 36 fishermen in total, indicating that 20 people are still missing. Attacks on vessels in the region are not uncommon, but the vast majority of assaults are simple robberies which do not result in fatalities.