Another Tourist's Body Recovered at Himchhari Beach, Death Toll Rises to Four
The body of another tourist, named Harun, who was swept away by waves and a strong current while bathing at Himchhari beach in Cox's Bazar, has been recovered. The death toll in the incident has risen to four. An evening swim turned into a heartbreaking tragedy for a group of tourists who had come to enjoy the beach on holiday.
On Thursday (22 October) morning, the body of the young man named Harun was recovered from the Sagar Nibas area of Himchhari. The accident happened on Wednesday (21 October) evening at the beach adjoining the museum of Marina Resort, when a group of tourists went into the sea to bathe.
Local sources said the group went down to bathe at the beach adjoining the Marina Resort museum on Wednesday evening. At that time, several tourists were swept away by the pull of the waves and the current. Within moments they were struggling in the water, and panic spread among the people on the beach.
Seeing them being swept away, local people came forward to rescue them. Their efforts saved several people. In the first phase of the rescue itself, two people were found dead, casting a shadow of grief over the whole area.
Another person was rescued in a critical condition and quickly sent to hospital. Beach worker Mahbub Rahman said two people were first recovered dead, and the person sent to hospital in a critical condition died there. That took the death toll to three.
Two more tourists were missing in the incident. The body of one of the missing — Harun — was recovered on Thursday morning from the Sagar Nibas area. With this recovery, the death toll reached four, while the search continued for the other missing person.
Besides Harun, the dead include Rohan (23) and Shahidul Islam (23). Rohan, from Diabari in Dhaka's Uttara, is the son of Mukarram Hossain; a phone number has been found to contact his family. The address of the deceased Shahidul Islam could not be known immediately.
The missing Nafisul Haque Nibir (22) is the son of Nabibur Rahman. He is known to be a resident of Dhaka's Azimpur area. The identity of the other missing person has not yet been confirmed, making it difficult to reach his family with the news.
Ramu Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Md Zillur Rahman said a group of tourists went to bathe at the beach adjoining the Marina Resort museum and were swept away by waves and the current. Local people rescued one person alive and sent him to hospital. Police are conducting an operation to rescue another person, he said.
Going into the beach as evening light faded, together with the pull of the current — the incident is a reminder of how the two combined to bring danger. The immediate participation of locals in the rescue saved several lives, but not everyone could be brought back.
The rescue operation for the missing tourist is ongoing. The process of identifying the bodies and handing them over to families, and the latest condition of the injured, will be known from the administration's next update.
