The accident occurred in the Munshibari region of the upazila at 7:30 am on Monday, according to Chandpur River Police Station chief Md Mujahidul Islam.
The victims have been identified as Mobarok Hossain, 35, Md Ajmol, 32, Nurul Islam, 31, Al Amin, 28, and Nazir, 26. They were day labourers from the Cumilla district.
All of them boarded a soil-laden trawler which crashed into a sand-laden vessel, and sank, Mujahidul said.
“Six of the 11 labourers on the trawler managed to swim ashore. We believe the accident was caused by poor visibility due to the dense fog,” Mujahidul said, adding that the victims may have been trapped inside when the trawler sank.
The bodies will be sent to Chandpur Sadar Hospital for post-mortem and legal action will be taken over the incident, police said.
