Anxious family of Towfiqul Islam, second engineer on the MV Abdullah who is among the Bangladeshi sailors taken hostage by pirates in the Indian Ocean, has demanded immediate government action to secure the release of all hostages.
“He apologised to us all. Then the line went dead, the pirates took his phone. I haven't spoken to him since,” Dil Afroza described the last frantic phone call of her son Taufiqul. “I can't reach him, don't know how he is. All of them need to be rescued, as soon as possible,” she said in a trembling voice.
Taufiqul’s wife, Zubaida said, he's been at sea since 2008, but never faced anything like this.
“He called on Tuesday evening and we got to know this. The government needs to act now, and bring everyone back. I just want him home safe,” she said.
Taufiqul, who hails Khulna, is the youngest of three brothers. Taufiqul's young children, 7-year-old Tasfia and 5-year-old Ahmed have been inconsolable since hearing the news.
Earlier on Tuesday, the ship, carrying coal from Mozambique’s Maputo port to Al Hamriyah Port in the UAE, was attacked around noon. MV Abdullah is owned by SR Shipping Lines – a sister company of Chattogram-based Kabir Steel and Rerolling Mill (KSRM) Group. All crew members are being held hostage by the pirates.