350 tourists get stranded at St Martin due to rough weather

Cox’s Bazar Correspondent :Some 350 local and foreign tourists have got stranded on St Martin’s Island in Cox’s Bazar due to inclement weather in the Bay of Bengal. It is learnt that the stranded tourists are facing acute food and accommodation problem. All the tourists are now anxiously waiting for return to Teknaf.Since the Bay of Bengal has remained rough due to turbulent weather from Sunday, the Coast Guards did not allow the tourists to sail for Teknaf by the wooden boats. Kazi Harun-ar-Rashid, Teknaf Station Commander of Coast Guard, said they would allow some tourists to return to Teknaf by the wooden boats if weather condition improve.On the other hand, two tourist vessels–LCT Kutubdia and Keari Cruise and Dine–sailed for St Martin from Teknaf at about 9.30am on Sunday with more than 500 passengers on board. When the vessels reached the confluence of the Bay of Bengal, they faced great difficulties to move forward. Later, they were compelled to return to Teknaf after passing one hour anxious moments in the sea. As a result, the tourists who were waiting to return to Teknaf could not come back.