Three tourists died and two others went missing after being swept away by strong sea waves while bathing at the Himchhari point of Cox’s Bazar sea beach on Wednesday afternoon.
The accident occurred at around 4:30pm at Himchhari, situated approximately 15 kilometres from Cox’s Bazar town.
All five individuals are male, aged between 26 and 30 years, and had travelled from Dhaka to Cox’s Bazar on a vacation trip.
Confirming the tragedy, Sumnath Basu, Officer-in-Charge (IC) of the Himchhari Police Outpost under Ramu Police Station, stated that the tourists entered the sea at Himchhari point at approximately 4:30pm and were quickly carried away by strong waves.
By 6pm, rescue teams recovered the bodies of three victims and brought them to the shore.
Search operations continue for the two missing tourists, while official confirmation regarding their detailed identities is still awaited.
Rising Surge in Drowning Fatalities
Drowning fatalities at the world’s longest sandy beach have escalated at an alarming rate in recent years.
According to data from ‘Sea Safe Lifeguard’, operated by the non-governmental organisation Centre for Injury Prevention and Research, Bangladesh (CIPRB), six tourists drowned at the beach in 2023, a figure that doubled to 12 in 2024 and further climbed to at least 16 in 2025.
The annual mortality rate currently stands at 12 to 16 deaths.
Overall records indicate that between 2014 and mid-2026, at least 76 tourists lost their lives while bathing across various points of the beach over this 12-year period.
During the same timeframe, lifeguard workers successfully rescued 1,043 tourists from critical or life-threatening conditions.
The toll in 2026 continues to mount.
Prior to Wednesday’s drownings at Himchhari, one tourist died at Sugandha-Kalatali point on 18 September, following an earlier incident on 26 August at Laboni-Sugandha point where one tourist died and another remained missing.
Primary Causes and Critical Coverage Gaps
Officials and experts attribute the rising fatalities to three main factors: invisible underwater hidden channels (guptakhal) and strong rip currents during ebb tide, vast unprotected beach stretches, and tourist non-compliance with safety warnings.
Visitors generally lack awareness of underwater trenches and reverse currents formed during low tide, which can drag swimmers into the deep sea within seconds.
Furthermore, significant infrastructure gaps leave vast areas exposed.
Out of the 120-kilometre-long beach line, lifeguard coverage is confined to a three-kilometre zone covering Laboni, Sugandha, and Kalatali points, managed by only 27 personnel working across two shifts.
Conversely, heavily frequented spots such as Himchhari, Inani, Patuartek, and Darianagar—which attract thousands of tourists daily—have no active lifeguard operations, preventing immediate rescue when swimmers are swept away.
Additionally, over-enthusiastic tourists frequently ignore red warning flags placed on high-risk sands and enter the sea after sunset or after dark once lifeguard shifts have ended.
Demands for Immediate Action
Tourism stakeholders maintain that to guarantee safety, authorities must rapidly expand lifeguard deployment beyond the current three-kilometre radius to cover Himchhari, Inani, and the entire tourist zone.
They also emphasised the need for stricter administrative supervision to build visitor awareness and prevent further loss of life.
