A teenage New Zealand citizen has gone missing after a self-made boat carrying four members of the same family capsized and sank in the Bay of Bengal, near the Nazirartek-Sonadia channel in Cox’s Bazar. Three other members of the family have been rescued alive.
The incident occurred at around 9:30am on Tuesday.
The missing teenager has been identified as 16-year-old Albert. The three rescued family members are John Edward, 74, Bela, 36, and Ralph, 13.
Cox’s Bazar Sadar Model Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Sheikh Mohammad Ali confirmed the incident. He said that the New Zealand family was travelling in their self-made boat through the Nazirartek-Sonadia channel of the sea at around 9:30am on Tuesday when the vessel accidentally capsized, throwing all four passengers into the water.
Local fishermen spotted them in the water, successfully rescued three of the family members, and subsequently handed them over to the Coast Guard.
Diving teams from both the Coast Guard and the Fire Service are currently conducting operations to locate and rescue the missing teenager, the OC added.
Meanwhile, details regarding when the New Zealand nationals arrived in Bangladesh or Cox’s Bazar could not be immediately confirmed.
The Coast Guard said that their personnel are occupied with the ongoing rescue operations and are unable to provide further details at this moment.
