DHAKA (AFP) - Bangladeshi and Indian rescuers pulled two Indian fishermen alive Sunday (Aug 14) from the Bay of Bengal one day after their trawler capsized, but 10 others were still missing, officials said.

Five bodies have also been recovered, as naval and coast guard rescuers search an area just south of the huge Sundarbans mangrove forest that straddles both countries.

"So far two fishermen were rescued alive and we recovered five bodies," Tapushi Rabeya, a Bangladesh defence ministry spokesperson, told AFP.

The trawler sent out a distress signal in rough seas on Saturday, some 40 nautical miles (70 kilometres) south of Hiron Point, a docking station in the Sundarbans.

Rescuers have located the sunken boat but efforts to find the fishermen were being hampered by continuing bad weather.

Two Bangladesh naval ships, three coast guard speedboats and a maritime patrol plane have been deployed in the search.

"Indian coastguards and patrol aircraft have also joined us in the rescue mission," a senior naval officer told AFP.

"The sunken vessel has been located and the Bangladeshi and Indian rescue teams were trying to salvage it. But the rescue efforts have been hampered by very rough seas," he said.

The Sundarbans is the world's largest mangrove forest and the Hiron docking station is popular with both fishermen and tourists.