Tourists asked to leave St Martin’s, vessels suspended from Tuesday

Amid the inclement weather, authorities have asked tourists to leave St Martin’s Island in Teknaf upazila of Cox’s Bazar by 3:00pm on Monday, as well as suspended the movement of marine vessels on Teknaf-St Martin’s Island route from Tuesday.

The local administration was making announcements on the island on the matter.

The deep depression over the west-central Bay of Bengal and adjoining areas moved northeastwards and lies over the same area.

The Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) has advised the sea ports to hoist distant cautionary signal No 3.

Locals said the weather turned sultry on Saint Martin’s Island and the sea is becoming rough gradually.

Teknaf upazila nirbahi officer (UNO) Md Adnan Chowdhury told Prothom Alo that movements of water vessels including ship and speed boats bound for Saint Martin's have been banned from Tuesday until further notice and all tourists have been ordered to leave the island. Announcements are being made to warn the tourists, he added.

According to sources at Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA), 180 tourists leave Teknaf’s Damdamia jetty for Saint Martin's Island by Keari Sindbad, 272 by Keari Cruise and Dine, 727 by MV Baro Awlia at 9:00am on Monday. Those vessels arrived at the island by 1:00pm. About 350 tourists went to the island on Sunday.

Saint Martin's union parishad chairman Mujibur Rahman said it has been raining heavily since last night. The weather is kind of gloomy now. The sea is getting increasingly rougher.

Keari Sindabad’s manager (accounts) Md Shah Alam and MV Baro Aulia ship’s manager Mahbub Alam told Prothom Alo that the tourists in Saint Martin's have been asked to board three ships moored in the island and come back to Teknaf due to inclement weather.

Raihan Hasan, a tourist from the capital’s Malibagh area went to Saint Martin’s Island today with eight other family members.

“We had booked a hotel and a return ticket for the ship. We were supposed to stay three nights here but couldn’t even stay a night now. But the money spent on the hotel is not returned. This is a kind of harassment to the tourists," he added.