The body of another missing student from the University of Chittagong (CU) was recovered on Wednesday morning, nearly 24 hours after three students went missing at sea while bathing at the Himchhari beach in Cox’s Bazar.
The deceased, identified as Asif Ahmed, was a first-year student in the Department of Development Studies. His body was found floating near the Samitipara area of the beach, confirmed university officials.
Three CU students—K M Sadman Rahman Sabab, Aritra Hasan, and Asif Ahmed—were swept away by strong waves early Tuesday morning.
All three were part of the 2023–24 academic session and had traveled to Cox’s Bazar for a trip after completing their first-year exams. Two other classmates, Farhan and Riyad, who were with them, remained safe.
The body of Sabab was recovered on Tuesday and handed over to his family. He was a resident of Mirpur, Dhaka. Asif and Aritra, both from Bogura, remained missing until this morning, when Asif’s body surfaced. Aritra remains untraced as of this report.
Witnesses and fellow students reported that the three missing students stayed overnight in Himchhari and entered the water around 5:30 am Tuesday.
According to Farhan, none of them had initially planned to bathe, but Sabab entered the water first, followed by Asif and Aritra.
Though the waves seemed calm at first, they grew stronger unexpectedly, and the three were swept away despite attempts to return to shore.
Assistant Proctor of CU and faculty member of the Development Studies department, Saeed Bin Kamal Chowdhury, confirmed the latest developments.
He added that a team of divers from the fire service continues the search for the remaining missing student, Aritra Hasan.
