Balasore, July 11: In a major relief, all 16 fishermen who had gone missing while venturing into the deep sea for hilsa fishing have been traced and are safe. They were located on an island around 2 km off Kakdwip in West Bengal, according to the Shankarpur Fishermen's Association.

The association said the fishermen are stranded on the island but are unharmed. Following the information, the Indian Coast Guard has launched a rescue operation to bring them back safely.

Swadesh Nayak, Secretary of the Shankarpur Fish Traders' Association, confirmed that the missing fishermen had been located and that efforts were underway to evacuate them.

The fishermen had set out to sea aboard the fishing trawler Maa Kali on July 2 to catch hilsa after assessing the weather conditions. However, the vessel went missing while heading towards Shankarpur, triggering concern among family members and the fishing community.