Sixteen fishermen, missing for nearly 72 hours after being swept away by turbulent weather in the Bay of Bengal, were rescued on Tuesday morning near the Bangladesh border in the Sunderbans delta.

The Border Security Force (BSF) located the stranded fishermen near a creek in Sunderbans, Goran Khal, bringing relief to the fishing community in Diamond Harbour.

The fishermen were among 49 who went missing on Thursday after their boats were caught in severe weather while attempting to return to the shore. They went to sea even after the weather department’s red alert.

Following a joint search operation led by the fishermen’s union, supported by the South 24-Parganas district administration and the Indian Coast Guard, two of the missing boats, carrying 33 fishermen, were located on Monday. The 33 men were safely brought back to Sultanpur in Diamond Harbour early Tuesday morning.

However, the remaining 16 mariners aboard the third boat, MV Baba Neelkantha, continued to drift aimlessly until they were spotted by the BSF around 9am on Tuesday at Goran Khal.

According to the fishermen, their boat’s GPS navigation and wireless communication systems were knocked out by a lightning strike, leaving them helpless in the rough sea.

“We found the fishing boat MV Baba Neelkantha near Goren Khal with the crew struggling to control it,” said BSF South Bengal Frontier spokesperson and DIG Amerish Arya. “We rescued them and brought them to our outpost after confirming their identities. Fortunately all were safe, and we provided necessary assistance.”

The district administration is coordinating efforts to bring the fishermen back to Diamond Harbour. The state fisheries department, with support from BSF and forest officials, has arranged for their return by Wednesday morning.

Surajit Bag, assistant director of fisheries (marine), expressed relief. “It is great news that all fishermen are safe. The BSF and forest officials ensured their safety and provided the required care,” he said.

Bijan Maiti, general secretary of the West Bengal United Fishermen’s Association, praised the BSF. “The fishermen were discovered in a challenging location near Gosaba Island, deep in the Sunderbans core forest area. We thank the BSF for its support,” Maiti said.

A rescue boat from Patharpratima has been dispatched to bring the fishermen back.

The group of 49 fishermen had set out for deep-sea fishing from Sultanpur fishing harbor last Tuesday on three boats — MV Maa Riya, MV Shri Hari, and MV Baba Neelkantha.

As the weather worsened unexpectedly, they were overwhelmed by the rough seas during their return journey, sources said.

While the engines of MV Maa Riya and MV Shri Hari failed in the storm, communication was lost with MV Neelkantha after its navigation systems were disabled by lightning.

After nearly 50 hours, MV Maa Riya and MV Shri Hari were spotted when their crew managed to re-establish wireless communication once the storm subsided. MV Baba Neelkantha was missing until it was located by the BSF on Tuesday morning.

Maiti added: “MV Baba Neelkantha was swept away by the high tide, and with its systems damaged, fishermen drifted dangerously close to the Bangladesh side. The BSF rescued them in time.”