Dhaka - Tropical squalls sank a fishing trawler off the Bangladesh coast, drowning at least five fishermen in the turbulent waves of the Bay of Bengal, local officials said on Wednesday.

Rescuers picked up bodies of five fishermen from the water after gale winds and heavy showers battered the nearby beach resort city of Cox Bazar, 340 kilometres south of capital Dhaka, late Tuesday.

Seven others on the trawler were saved by rescuers from a fishing village on the outskirts of the resort city along the southern coastal belt of Bangladesh, town mayor Kabir Ahmad said.

Ahmad said the fishermen ignored forecasts of storms striking the coast, risking their lives for a good catch in the peak of the fishing. (dpa)