12 sailors rescued after stone-laden lighter vessel sinks in Bay

Twelve sailors were rescued after a stone-laden lighter vessel capsized due to heavy current in the Bay of Bengal.

The incident took place near Bhasan Char area of Noakhali on Wednesday morning, when the vessel 'MV Sun Valley 4' was heading towards Mongla Port from the outer anchorage of Chattogram port.

However, Air Force members rescued all 12 sailors of the sunken vessel immediately. Later, they were flown to Air Force's Zahurul Haque Base on two helicopters around 3pm.

Mahbub Rashid Khan, executive director of the Water Transport Cell (WTC), a private body for lighter ship operation, said some unauthorized lighter ships transport goods from the outer anchorage of Chattogram port under their own arrangements. The sunken vessel was one of those.