At least two people, a woman and a child, have died and another woman remains missing after a boat carrying Rohingyas and Bangladeshis capsized off the Teknaf coast in Cox’s Bazar.
The Coast Guard conducted a search-and-rescue operation and successfully rescued 16 people alive, including eight Bangladeshi nationals and eight Rohingya citizens from Myanmar.
The accident occurred at around 2am on Tuesday near the Kachhapia boat ghat area under Baharchhara Union in Teknaf as the boat was illegally entering Bangladesh from Myanmar via the sea route.
Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Teknaf Model Police Station, Mohammad Saiful Islam, confirmed the incident, stating that the Coast Guard handed over the 16 rescued survivors to Teknaf Model Police Station following the rescue operation.
“The bodies of a woman and a child have been recovered, while one woman is still missing,” said OC Mohammad Saiful Islam.
Citing initial interrogation of the rescued individuals, the OC informed that they had left Bangladesh approximately a year ago to travel to Malaysia via Myanmar. They were attempting to return to Bangladesh by sea when the vessel met with the accident.
OC Mohammad Saiful Islam noted that an investigation is underway to determine the exact cause of the capsize. He added that the bodies of the deceased will be sent to the Cox’s Bazar Sadar Hospital morgue for post-mortem examination.
Authorities are also investigating the human trafficking brokers involved in the operation, and legal action regarding the incident is currently in process.
