Kolkata: Five persons drowned and 40 others were rescued after a trawler with over 100 people on board capsized in Muriganga river at Talpatty near Sagar Islands in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district on Saturday.
"Four women and a child were found dead near Lot No 8," additional district magistrate of South 24 Parganas, Mr Nilanjan Shandilya, said.
The five victims belonged to Kakdwip area, he said.
There were around 100 people on the trawler of whom 40 were rescued, he said.
Meanwhile, a defence ministry spokesman said navy divers from Eastern Naval headquarters at Visakhapatnam have been sent to the spot for rescue operations.
"The West Bengal government has sought the help of the navy for rescue work. Since no navy divers are available here, the Naval headquarters at Vizag has been asked to send divers," he said.
Three trawlers were sailing to Kakdwip when one of them capsized between Rosulpur and Ghoramara. The trawlers were sailing from Hijli Sarif under Khejuri police station in East Midnapore district to Kakdwip in South 24 Parganas, Kakdwip SDPO Sanjit Bhattacharya said.