Six bodies recovered in 16 hours along Cox’s Bazar coast

Authorities have reported the recovery of bodies of six people, including tourists, along the Cox’s Bazar coastline over 16 hours.

Ilias Khan, chief of Cox’s Bazar Sadar Model Police Station, said five of the bodies were recovered within the Sadar police station region. Among them were three tourists and a local.

A decomposed body was also recovered from the mouth of the Bakkhali River near the Khurushkul Shelter Project around noon. The identity of the deceased has not yet been confirmed.

Another body was retrieved from the Pechardwip area of Himchari Sea Beach around 11:30am. The body was yet to be identified, according to Taiyabur Rahman, chief of Ramu Police Station.

Police also reported that one of the tourist’s bodies was recovered at around 1am on Monday from the “Diabetes Point” of the beach.

The deceased, Md Rajib, hailed from DC Road in Chattogram. He went missing around 5 pm on Sunday after entering the water for a bath at Seagull Point.

On Monday around 2:00pm, a father and son who had gone to take a bath together were rescued from Sayeman Beach Point.

Lifeguard members later rushed Rajshahi resident Shahinur Rahman, 60, and his 20-year-old son Sifat, identified by a single name, to Cox’s Bazar Sadar Hospital, where doctors declared them dead shortly after arrival.

Around 11:30am, the body of Nuru Sawdagar from Cox’s Bazar town’s West Baharchhara was recovered from the Nazirartek Beach Point. He had gone fishing for fun on Sunday afternoon and was swept away by the tide from Shaibal Point.

Saifullah Sifat, a senior member of the SeaSafe Lifeguard service, explained that during the monsoon season, mountain runoff creates “hidden canals” at numerous points along the beach. Tourists who fall into these areas become endangered. If they swim outside the designated areas, they tend to go missing or get swept away.

“Even so, the lifeguards are trying their best. Since this morning alone, we have rescued six people at risk of losing their lives,” he said.

He noted that the number of lifeguards is far too few to handle the scores of tourists pouring into the beach.

Only 27 lifeguards are working in two shifts — with 13 on duty in each — which is extremely insufficient, Sifat added.

For several years now, the SeaSafe Lifeguard team has been operating under a private development organisation to provide services at the Cox’s Bazar sea beach.