CU student drowns, 2 still missing at Cox’s Bazar

A student of Chittagong University (CU) drowned and two of his classmates went missing while bathing in the sea at Himchari Beach on Tuesday morning.

The deceased, KM Sadman Rahman Sabab, 21, was a first-year student in the Development Studies department (session 2023–24). He hailed from Mirpur, Dhaka.

The missing students have been identified as Aritra Hasan, son of Aminul Islam from Bogura, and Asif Ahmed, son of Rafiqul Islam, also from Bogura. All three were classmates in the same department and academic session.

According to Imtiaz Ahmed, an official of Sea Safe Lifeguard, five CU students had traveled to Cox’s Bazar for a trip. Around 10am, three of them—Sabab, Aritra, and Asif entered the sea near the Himchari embankment while the others stayed back. A sudden strong wave swept the trio away amid rough sea conditions caused by inclement weather.

Tourists nearby managed to recover Sabab’s body, but the other two remain unaccounted for. Rescue operations involving the Fire Service, Tourist Police, and lifeguards are ongoing, though efforts have been hampered by turbulent waters.

Tourist Police Additional DIG Apel Mahmud confirmed the recovery of Sabab’s body and said that search operations would continue until the missing students are found.