Tourist's body recovered from Cox's Bazar sea 22 hours after disappearance

The body of a tourist who went missing while swimming in the sea near Inani Beach on the Cox's Bazar–Teknaf Marine Drive has been recovered, some 22 hours after he was last seen.

The body of Mohammad Sayem, 22, son of Md Iqbal of Kuaish area in Hathazari upazila of Chattogram district, was retrieved around 10:00am on Sunday (June 28) from near the Rejukhal bridge in Pechardwip area of Ramu upazila — several kilometres from where he disappeared.

Sayem had gone swimming with a friend at the beach south of Inani Sea Pearl Hotel around 12:30pm on Saturday when he was swept away by strong currents. His companion, Md Arman, also of Hathazari, survived after failing to rescue him despite attempts to do so.

Following the incident, search operations involving fire service personnel, lifeguards, beach workers, and local fishermen continued until evening but yielded no trace of Sayem.

Initially, his body is believed to have been carried by the current before washing ashore near the Rejukhal bridge, according to fire service officials.

Police, beach workers, and Coast Guard members retrieved the body after receiving a tip-off, and relatives subsequently identified it.

Beach worker Nazim Uddin, on duty at Inani, confirmed the recovery, saying locals alerted authorities after spotting the body near the Rejukhal canal in Pechardwip.
The incident has once again drawn attention to a glaring safety gap along the coastline.

Beach worker incharge Belal Uddin said that while 27 lifeguards and 37 beach workers are deployed along the five-kilometre stretch from Kalatali to Laboni Point, the remaining 115 kilometres of coastline — spanning Himchari, Darianagar, Inani, Patowartec, Baharchhara, and Teknaf — remain effectively unguarded.

"Tourists are warned against swimming in unguarded stretches, especially in rough conditions, but many ignore the warnings and end up in danger," Belal Uddin said.