Missing New Zealand Teen’s Body Found on Cox’s Bazar Beach

The body of Albert, a 16-year-old New Zealand national, who had been missing at sea for around 30 hours, was recovered from a beach in Cox’s Bazar on Wednesday (August 26).

His body was found floating near the Nazirar Tek point adjacent to Cox’s Bazar beach in the afternoon.

Mahbub Alam, supervisor of the Cox’s Bazar District Administration’s beach workers, confirmed the recovery.

According to family sources, the adventure-loving foreign family had been travelling towards Chattogram aboard a wooden houseboat named “Island Girl,” which they had built themselves. At around 9:30am on Tuesday (August 25), the boat was struck by a powerful wave near the mouth of the Nazirartek and Maheshkhali Channel and broke into two pieces before sinking.

Local fishermen rescued Albert’s father, John Edward, 74, mother Bella, 36, and younger brother Ralph, 13, alive. However, Albert went missing in the sea.

Following the incident, members of the Coast Guard, Navy and Fire Service conducted search operations in different areas of the sea and along the Cox’s Bazar coast. His body was eventually recovered from the shore near Nazirartek on Wednesday afternoon.

Cox’s Bazar Sadar Model Police Station Officer-in-Charge Sheikh Mohammad Ali described the incident as deeply tragic.

He said the district administration and the New Zealand Embassy in Dhaka were being contacted. After completing the necessary legal procedures and formalities, arrangements would be made to hand over Albert’s body to his family and send it back to his home country.