Bangladeshi sailors recount harrowing escape after missile strike in Arabian Sea

Adrift in violent seas, with no engine and little hope, five Bangladeshi sailors rowed a damaged lifeboat towards survival after their ship was hit by missiles near the Strait of Hormuz.

The ordeal has left them stranded in Karachi without travel documents.

The sailors are now worried about their return as their passports and Continuous Discharge Certificates (CDCs) were destroyed in the attack.

The vessel “MV Gold Autumn” was en route from Shanghai, China to Sohar, Oman, carrying iron pipes and vehicles.

It was nearing the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, just a day before a ceasefire was announced, when it was targeted.

Ehsan Sabri Rihad, a cadet from Cox's Bazar, described the terrifying moments to bdnews24.com over the phone.

"I was resting when a massive bang shook the ship. Three missiles hit us in quick succession. The first struck the aft (rear) section. We ran to the accommodation room, but soon the engine died. We couldn't restart it," Rihad said.

As fire engulfed the ship, the captain declared it abandoned.

Of the two lifeboats on board, one had already been obliterated by a missile.

Rihad and three others lowered the remaining lifeboat into the churning waters five hours after the attack, only to find its engine was also dead.

"The sea was incredibly violent. We were tossing and turning, vomiting repeatedly. At one point, we lost all hope of surviving," he recounted.

Under rain, they spotted a distant vessel and fired a flare.

They managed to row toward the “MV Eunice” using oars and climbed aboard using ropes.

Following coordination with the Pakistan Navy by the company owning the ship targeted by the missiles, the frigate PNS Hunain, a patrol vessel, arrived to rescue the stranded crew.

The Pakistan Navy rescued 14 sailors still on the abandoned MV Gold Autumn and picked up the four from the MV Eunice.

Out of the 22 crew members, 18 arrived at Karachi port on Wednesday.

The four other Bangladeshis currently at the hotel are Tawhidur Rahman, Saikat Pal, Riyad Hossain, and Abdullah al Maruf.

A sixth Bangladeshi, Mazharul Abedin Shaon, reportedly remained on the MV Gold Autumn with the captain and three others in an attempt to steer the damaged vessel towards the coast.

Rihad noted that while Chinese embassy officials have already visited their citizens, the Bangladeshis are waiting for official contact from their mission to arrange emergency travel documents.

Shakawat Hossain, general secretary of the Bangladesh Merchant Marine Officers' Association, told bdnews24.com: "We are in contact with the authorities and the sailors to ensure their swift return. We hope to finalise their documentation and logistical arrangements soon."

The ship’s other crew members include 11 Chinese, three Indonesian and one each from Vietnam and Myanmar.