The body of a 16-year-old New Zealand teenager, Albert, has been recovered from the sea near Cox’s Bazar town, 32 hours after a boat capsize.
The body floated ashore near Kutubbazar, adjacent to the coast in Ward No 1 of Cox’s Bazar Municipality, at around 5:30pm on Wednesday. Upon receiving information from local residents, police and lifeguard personnel recovered the body.
Cox’s Bazar Sadar Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Sheikh Mohammad Ali said that police officers went to the spot after being informed and recovered the body. He added that the process is currently underway to send it to the Cox’s Bazar Sadar Hospital morgue.
The boat carrying the New Zealand family capsized at approximately 9:30am on Tuesday whilst they were travelling in the sea near the Nazirartek area, adjacent to the estuary of the Bankkhali river.
Local fishermen rescued Albert’s father John Edward, 74, mother, Bela, 36, and his brother Ralph, 13. The rescued survivors were later handed over to the Cox’s Bazar Station of the Coast Guard, while Albert remained missing.
According to relevant sources, the family had travelled to Cox’s Bazar on a self-made boat via a sea route. On the night of 8 April, they fell victim to a pirate attack and robbery on the sea off the coast of Sonadia Island in Moheshkhali upazila. Since then, they had been under custody of the Coast Guard.
Cox’s Bazar Sadar Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Tahmina Aktar confirmed that the family had been in Coast Guard custody since the pirate attack on 8 April. She further explained that there were visa complexities, as some family members had expired visas, whilst no visa documentation was found for the 13-year-old child, Ralph.
The UNO also said that the New Zealand Embassy in Dhaka was notified immediately following the capsizing. Embassy officials arrived at Cox’s Bazar on Wednesday afternoon.
“Once the legal procedures regarding the body are completed, arrangements will be made to hand over the three surviving New Zealand citizens to the embassy,” Tahmina Aktar said.
Sadar Police OC Sheikh Mohammad Ali added that the three surviving family members are currently under the supervision of the Additional District Magistrate of Cox’s Bazar.
