Dhaka, Sep 21 (Xinhua) Bodies of 49 fisherman were picked up and about 5,000 people, including a navy commander, were reported missing after their boats sank in the Bay of Bengal as a violent storm lashed Bangladesh's coastal belt.

Broken by the storm Tuesday night, a patrolling navy ship with 40 crewmembers also sank, 74 km away from the southwestern coast.

All but the commander of the ship were picked up from the Bay of Bengal, television channels in Bangladesh reported Thursday morning.

Navy ships and air force helicopters with rescue teams searched for the missing commander Wednesday but could not trace the commander, army spokesman Nazrul Islam said Wednesday night.

The rescue teams of the Bangladesh Navy and the Coast Guard picked up 49 bodies of fishermen as they searched for the commander of the ship.

The disaster occurred as a sudden storm under the influence of depression in the bay lashed the coast since Tuesday evening at a speed of 100-130 km an hour.

Hundreds of people gathered at the world's longest sea beach and coastal zones Wednesday in search of the missing people after the storm ravaged the coastal areas.

The Coast Guard and the Bangladesh Navy rescued over 2,000 fishermen in the southern shores.