Over 300 stranded tourists return from Saint Martin’s Island

English News Desk : More than 300 tourists, who were stranded at Saint Martin’s Island due to inclement weather, have returned to Teknaf by a ship this afternoon.

“Shipping resumed on Saturday morning after the weather warning was lifted, allowing tourists to safely return to Teknaf by MV Baro Aulia on Saturday afternoon,” Teknaf Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Md Adnan Chowdhury said.

The UNO stated that while passenger ships and cargo service trawlers are permitted to travel on Teknaf-Saint Martin route, the use of speedboats is prohibited.

On Tuesday (3 October), local cautionary signal No. 3 was issued due to the influence of monsoon winds, prompting the upazila administration to halt the movement of vessels on the route. The movement of ships resumed this morning after Meteorological Department lifted the warning signal on Friday.

The stranded tourists who have returned Teknaf include 77 teachers and students of History Department of Dhaka University, 40 teachers, students of Jagannath University and 38 teachers, students of Nilphamari Medical College.

Rezwanur Rahman, a private bank official from Jamalpur, shared his experience of being stranded for four days while traveling with his wife.

“We were not alone, over 400 other tourists were also caught in the same situation. Most of the hotels and restaurants on the island were closed, leading to a shortage of food. It wasn’t just us, the island’s residents faced similar challenges,” he said after returning from Saint Martin’s Island.