Four bodies recovered after Rohingya boat capsizes off Teknaf coast, several still missing

A Rohingya child and three women have been found dead after a boat capsized while trying to enter Bangladesh through the Teknaf coast, according to the local authorities.

Several people, including a Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) member, are still missing.

A total of 25 people have been rescued by Bangladesh's border security forces.

BGB spokesperson Shariful Islam told bdnews24.com that the boat was heading towards Bangladesh via sea route around 2:30am on Friday.

"Near Shah Porir Dwip, the boat began to sink after its hull cracked. Hearing the cries of the passengers, a nearby BGB patrol team rushed to the scene.

“They rescued 25 people from the boat. During the operation, one BGB member went missing."

The spokesperson added that the missing BGB member's name is Billal Hasan, and he is serving as a sepoy.

Billal, stationed at the Border Outpost (BOP) in Subrang union’s Shah Porir Dwip, had been carrying a rifle and four magazines at the time, both of which were lost during the incident.

Lt Col Md Ashikur Rahman, the commander of the Teknaf-2 BGB Battalion, confirmed that the vessel had sunk in the sea near Shah Porir Dwip’s Pashchim Para.

Abdul Gafur, general secretary of the fishermen’s association at the Shah Porir Dwip Pashchim Para Jetty, said: “The boat sank in the dead of night. By evening, the bodies of four people had been recovered.'"

“Search operations are under way to find the missing individuals,” said Teknaf Upazila Executive Officer (UNO) Sheikh Ahsan Uddin.