Dhaka: A cargo ship used to carry fish called Radana Win Win sank in Rangoon port along with four other cargo ships when cyclone Nargis lashed Burma on Saturday. The ships were preparing to leave for Bangladesh with goods for export, said a Bangladesh fish company owner over telephone.

"I got a telephone message from Rangoon that the cargo ship, along with other ships, sank with several loads of fish on board as it was preparing to leave for Bangladesh," he said.

Some 92,000 tons of fish destined for Bangladesh were loaded on the ship.

"We also lost a huge amount of money as the ship sank, because we had invested a significant amount of capital in the fish business," the owner said.

Since cyclone Nargis hit Burma, trade between Burma and Bangladesh has come to a standstill as cargo ships have stopped sailing out of the port to Bangladesh.

A clerk from Teknaf jetty said that the fish prices in Bangladesh have increased now because there have been no fish exports from Burma since the storm struck.