Tourists stranded at Saint Martin’s return to Teknaf by boat

Hundreds of tourists,who were stranded on Saint Martin's Island, returned to Teknaf on Wednesday in wooden boats by risking their lives. 

They reached Kayukkhali Ghat in Teknaf in four wooden boats at around 3:30 pm. However, about 25 more tourists remained on the island voluntarily.

Confirming the matter, Saint Martin's Union Parishad Chairman Nur Ahmad said they returned to Teknaf in phases in four wooden boats used for passenger transportation. 

"Everyone reached Teknaf safely in the afternoon. Some tourists stayed back voluntarily on the island, and they will be taken care of," he said. 

The tourists who returned to Teknaf said they took a trip to Saint Martin's from Cox's Bazar on September 18 and 19. 

Although they were set to return on the 21st, due to the signal No 3 in the sea, movement of all types of water vessels on the sea was suspended from that day. As a result, they were stranded on the island. However, they did not face any difficulty at that time, they added.

Md Saiful Islam, upazila nirbahi officer of Teknaf, said that the Teknaf-Saint Martin's waterway had been closed since Monday to avoid unwanted incidents due to the rough sea. 

"So, hundreds of tourists were stranded on the island. They have returned to Teknaf at their own risk," he added.