TEAM Group MD dies in Canada boat accident

Abdullah Hil Rakib, managing director of readymade garment manufacturing company TEAM Group, and Saifuz Zaman, a pilot of Biman Bangladesh Airlines, died in a boat accident on Sturgeon Lake in Ontario, Canada on Sunday local time.

A former senior vice president of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), Abdullah Hil Rakib was involved in apparel industry for nearly three decades.

BGMEA’s former director Mohiuddin Rubel confirmed the death of Abdullah Hil Rakib.

SM Khaled, a childhood friend of Abdullah Hil Rakib and managing director of Snowtex Group, told Prothom Alo that Abdullah Hil Rakib along with his son and Saifuz Zaman went on a boat ride in a lake in Canada on Sunday afternoon local time. At one stage, the boat capsized. Rakib’s son swam ashore, but Rakib drowned. Saifuz Zaman swam near the shore, but could not survive. The body of Rakib was recovered after one and a half hours later.

SM Khaled said Rakib left Dhaka for Toronto on 5 June before Eid-ul-Azha. The families of Rakib and Saifuz Zaman went to Sturgeon Lake, 140 kilometres away from Toronto, to spend Eid vacation. Saifuz Zaman was a pilot of national flag carrier Biman Bangladesh Airlines.

In addition to textile, TEAM Group runs retail, pharmaceuticals, information technology and real estate businesses. Readymade garment brand Twelve is a sister concern of TEAM Group.