In a tragic turn of events, six bodies have been recovered within 16 hours from different points along the Cox`s Bazar coastline.
According to local police, five of the deceased were found within the Cox`s Bazar Sadar area. Among them were three tourists and one local resident, while another body was recovered in a decomposed state, whose identity remains unknown.
Additionally, another body was recovered from the Pachar Dwip area of Himchari beach, under the jurisdiction of the Ramu police station.
Authorities reported that one of the tourists, Md. Rajib from DC Road, Chattogram, drowned after entering the sea at the Seagull Point on Sunday around 5 PM. His body was later recovered around 1 AM on Monday near the Diabetes Point of the beach.
In a separate incident, a father and his son from Rajshahi—Shaheenur Rahman, 60, and his 20-year-old son Sifat—were rescued from the sea near the Simon Beach Point on Monday around 2 PM. Despite efforts by lifeguards to save them, both were declared dead at Cox`s Bazar Sadar Hospital.
Earlier in the day, around 11:30 AM, the body of Nurul Saudagar from the West Baharchara area of Cox`s Bazar city was recovered from the Nazirartek Point. He reportedly went missing on Sunday afternoon while fishing near the Shaibal Point.
Another body, in a severely decomposed state, was recovered at noon from the estuary of the Bakkhali River near the Khurushkul Ashrayan project area. The identity of the deceased has yet to be determined.
In the Himchari Pachar Dwip area, authorities also recovered an unidentified body on Monday morning around 11:30 AM.
According to Saifullah Sifat, a senior lifeguard from Sea Safe Lifeguard, hidden channels—locally known as "secret canals"—form along various beach points during the monsoon season due to mountain runoff, making these areas extremely dangerous. Tourists who enter the water outside designated safe zones often face the risk of drowning or going missing.
Despite the challenges, Sifat noted that lifeguards have managed to rescue six people alive from dangerous situations since Monday morning.
However, with only 27 lifeguards covering the vast and heavily frequented beach, manpower remains critically insufficient, as they operate in two shifts of just 13 to 14 personnel each.
Sea Safe Lifeguard, a private initiative supported by a development organization, has been working to enhance beach safety in Cox`s Bazar for the past several years.
