Sundarbans, Sept 14 (V7N) – A teenage tourist went missing after drowning in the Bay of Bengal near Dimer Char in the Sundarbans on Saturday morning. The missing tourist was identified as Mahit Abdullah, 16, son of Sheikh Sultan Mahmud Asad of Shekhertek area in Mohammadpur, Dhaka.

According to the Forest Department, around 11:30 a.m., Mahit went for a swim with his parents near the beach adjacent to Dimer Char under Kochikhali range of the Sundarbans East Forest Division when he was swept away by the current. Despite immediate rescue attempts by forest guards and crew members of the tourist vessel, he could not be found.

Officials said the tourist ship MV The Explorer anchored at Kochikhali earlier in the morning with 75 tourists from Dhaka. The group traveled by boat to Dimer Char for sightseeing. During the trip, Mahit entered the sea with his family but went missing.

Nazmul Azam David, Secretary of the Tour Operators of Sundarbans Association (TOWAS), said MV The Explorer left Dhaka on Friday evening and was scheduled to return tourists to Khulna on Sunday night. He added that the Coast Guard has been informed and has already dispatched a rescue team towards Dimer Char.

Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of the Sundarbans East Division, Md. Rezaul Karim Chowdhury, confirmed that forest guards with speedboats are conducting searches, assisted by Coast Guard members, to trace the missing teenager.

END/AHS/SMA/