Hostile weather: More than 100 tourists stranded on St Martin's
Due to the harsh weather, the local administration stopped movement of all types of vessels by hoisting warning signal 3 on Sunday
More than 100 tourists remain stranded on the St Martin's island for two days due to the hostile weather caused by a low in the Bay of Bengal.
Because of the low, tidal waves have risen a few feet above the normal level and lashed the coastal areas.
Due to the harsh weather, the local administration stopped the movement of all types of vessels, including fishing trawlers in Cox's Bazar, by hoisting warning signal 3 earlier on Sunday.
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Because of that, there was no ship on Monday and the tourists could not return from the coral island.
"All communications on the Teknaf-St Martin's waterway has been suspended since Monday to avoid any untoward incidents as the sea is rough," said Saiful Islam, upazila nirbahi officer of Teknaf.
"Local police, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), coast guard, and union parishad members have been asked to take care of the stranded tourists," he added.
Nur Ahmed, upazila parishad chairman of St Martin's, said more than 200 tourists came to the island from Cox's Bazar by Karnaphuli Express and from Teknaf by a few trawlers on Sunday.
"Half of the tourists returned to Teknaf and Cox's Bazar in the afternoon. However, more than 100 tourists stayed to enjoy the nightlife on the island. They have been stranded since Monday morning due to the severe weather," Nur added, stating that everyone is safe.
However, highlighting the severity of the situation, Mujibur Rahman, president of St Martin's union Awami League, said, "The Bay of Bengal is rough with heavy rainfall. The tidal wave is damaging various structures on the north and west sides of the island."
"Four wooden fishing trawlers and a passenger boat anchored at the jetty on the east side of the island sank on Monday night due to strong tides and winds," he added.
Nur said the sea level was rising regularly, and it was causing erosion in various parts of the island.
"The matter was presented at the upazila and district coordination meeting and the department concerned has been informed," he added.
Nur feared that if immediate action was not taken, more damages would follow.
