Boat carrying four members of New Zealand family capsizes in Cox’s Bazar, one missing

A wooden boat carrying four members of a New Zealand family capsized at the mouth of the Sonadia Channel in the Bay of Bengal off the Cox’s Bazar coast on Tuesday morning.

Three of the foreigners, including two women, were rescued by local fishermen, but a 16-year-old boy from the family remains missing. A search operation continued until 5:00pm, but the teenager could not be found. The Coast Guard and Fire Service are conducting the search in the Maheshkhali Channel.

Confirming the incident, Sheikh Mohammad Ali, officer-in-charge of Cox’s Bazar Sadar Model Police Station, told Prothom Alo that the four-member New Zealand family had set out from the Nazirartek coast at around 9:15am on a wooden boat to cross the sea channel to Sonadia Island in Maheshkhali. When the boat reached the middle of the channel, it began rocking heavily after being hit by large waves. At one point, a wave overturned the boat, throwing all four foreigners into the water.

Fishermen aboard nearby fishing boats rushed to the scene and rescued three people, including two women. However, the teenage member of the family could not be found until 5:00pm. Coast Guard and Fire Service teams are searching the channel for him. The three rescued foreigners are receiving treatment at a hospital. The family had been staying in Cox’s Bazar, the OC said.

According to information provided by police and the Fire Service, the missing teenager has been identified as Albert, 16. The three people rescued alive are Edward, 74, Bella, 36, and Ralph, 13. Local fishermen rescued the three and handed them over to the Coast Guard.

Two fishermen from the Nazirartek area said members of the New Zealand family had been travelling around Cox’s Bazar, Maheshkhali and Sonadia for several days. On Tuesday morning, they went out to sea from the Nazirartek coast on a wooden boat. When they reached the Sonadia estuary area of the Maheshkhali Channel, the boat sank after being hit by a large wave, throwing all four into the water.

Local fishermen who were nearby witnessed the accident and immediately rushed to the scene. Their efforts enabled three people to be rescued. After being informed of the incident, Coast Guard and Fire Service personnel arrived and began searching for the missing teenager.

Dolon Acharya, senior station officer at the Cox’s Bazar Fire Service Station, said a specialised Fire Service team reached the scene soon after receiving the news of the accident and began the rescue operation. A team of divers is searching for the missing teenager. The three rescued people are receiving first aid, he said.