Missing New Zealand teen found dead 32 hours after boat sinks off Cox's Bazar
Albert, 16, went missing after the boat carrying his family capsized near the Bakkhali River estuary yesterday.
A 16-year-old New Zealand national who went missing after a boat carrying his family capsized off Cox's Bazar was found dead around 32 hours after the accident.
Albert's body was recovered from the sea near Kutub Bazar in Ward 1 of Cox's Bazar Municipality around 5:30pm today (26 August), Sheikh Mohammad Ali, officer-in-charge (OC) of Cox's Bazar Sadar Police Station, told The Business Standard.
"The body is being taken to the Cox's Bazar Sadar Hospital morgue," he said.
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Albert went missing after the boat carrying his family overturned near Nazirartek at the mouth of the Bakkhali River around 9:30am yesterday (25 August).
Local fishermen rescued his father, John Edward, 74, mother Bela, 36, and younger brother Ralph, 13. They were later handed over to the Coast Guard's Cox's Bazar station.
All four family members are New Zealand nationals.
According to officials, the family had travelled to Cox's Bazar on a self-made boat. They had previously been attacked by pirates near the Kutubjom coast of Maheshkhali upazila on the night of 8 April and had remained under Coast Guard custody since then, officials said.
The latest incident occurred while the family was travelling near Nazirartek. Strong waves caused their boat to overturn and sink, leaving Albert missing.
The Coast Guard has yet to issue an official statement on the recovery of the teenager's body.
The three rescued family members are currently under the supervision of Cox's Bazar Additional District Magistrate, the OC said.
