From correspondents in Dhaka, Bangladesh, 01:02 AM IST

Over 100 fishermen have been missing after their trawlers capsized in the Bay of Bengal during a storm off the southern coast of Bangladesh, the UNB news agency reported Tuesday.

Around 25 trawlers, carrying over 300 fishermen, capsized during a storm Monday night, survivors who sailed back to the coast said.

'About 200 people managed to swim ashore, while over 100 remained missing,' the report quoted a fisherman as saying.

Coast Guard officials said search for the missing fishermen was continuing.

The meteorological department said a low-pressure belt was formed in the Bay of Bengal region that intensified into a monsoon depression.

'It is likely to intensify further and move in a northwesterly direction and may cross the Orissa coast near Paradip by Tuesday night,' the Met Office here said in a bulletin.

All fishing boats have been advised to keep away from the storm-hit regions, it said.

(Staff Writer, © IANS)