More than 120 Bangladeshi nationals who had set sail illegally for Malaysia in search of better jobs, have gone missing in the Bay of Bengal after their boat capsized, a Bangladeshi police officer said yesterday.

Six of the 128 passengers on the overcrowded motorboat survived the accident, which took place on Sunday night, police officer Mohammad Farhad said, citing a survivor.

The 24-year-old survivor, Abu Bakar, a day labourer, and five other co-passengers were rescued on Monday by a fishing boat more than 50km from the coast, said the police officer. He noted that

all the passengers had paid a small amount of money to local agents for their trip to Malaysia.

“We have filed a case against nine local agents who lured the poor workers for better jobs in Malaysia and pushed them into the risky voyage. They will be charged with human trafficking,” Farhad said, adding that his team will also take statements from the other survivors.

Bakar told a local television channel that he was unaware of the fate of the other passengers as the boat capsized in the night.

“I managed to remain afloat on the water for a day. The fishing boat rescued me after I screamed for help,” Bakar told TV broadcaster Independent.

He landed on Tuesday night at Cox’s Bazar port, from where police had taken him to custody and later released.

The Bangladeshi Coast Guard could not ascertain the exact place of the accident, said an officer.

- dpa