New Zealand family lived on 'Island Girl' for 2.5yrs before visa renewal trip ended in tragedy
Albert went missing when the vessel broke apart in rough seas off Cox’s Bazar; his father, mother and 13-year-old brother were rescued alive.
A visa renewal trip turned tragic for a New Zealand family who had spent about two and a half years living and travelling aboard their houseboat, Island Girl, along the Cox's Bazar coast.
Their 16-year-old son, Albert, went missing after the boat broke apart in rough seas near Nazirartek, at the mouth of the Bakkhali River, around 9:30am yesterday (25 August), while the family was travelling towards Chattogram, according to his 13-year-old brother Ralph.
Albert's father John Edward, 74, mother Bela, 36, and Ralph were rescued alive by local fishermen after the accident.
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Albert's body was recovered from the sea near Kutub Bazar in Ward 1 of Cox's Bazar Municipality around 5:30pm today -- about 32 hours after the accident.
Sheikh Mohammad Ali, officer-in-charge of Cox's Bazar Sadar Police Station, confirmed the recovery and said the body was taken to the morgue of Cox's Bazar Sadar Hospital for legal procedures.
The four family members are New Zealand citizens.
A home on the water
The family had been living aboard Island Girl for about two and a half years, travelling by sea and river around Cox's Bazar and returning to the coast between trips, according to local sources.
The houseboat was built at SM Para on the Cox's Bazar coast, said local BNP leader Didarul Islam Rubel.
The modern twin-hull vessel was built specifically for the family's personal adventures and sea travel. It took about two years to complete and was estimated to have cost more than Tk1 crore, Rubel said.
It had air-conditioned rooms, a refrigerator, a kitchen and other facilities.
The family kept the boat anchored for long periods in the Bakkhali River, opposite the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority jetty at Nuniachhara.
"They made several trips to sea on the boat, but would return to the coast each time," Rubel said.
The fatal journey
Ralph told local reporters that the family was travelling towards Chattogram to extend their visas when the accident occurred.
He said he and his father were on the deck, while his mother was under a tarpaulin shelter putting a life jacket on Albert.
"Suddenly, the boat broke into two pieces," Ralph said.
He suspected that the clip on Albert's life jacket might not have been fastened properly. He also said his brother could not swim.
The boat broke apart amid large waves and strong currents, leaving Albert missing.
Locals later reported seeing his body near Kutub Bazar. Police and lifeguard personnel recovered it around 5:30pm today.
Family had earlier been rescued after reported attack
The family had also been rescued by the Coast Guard after an attack off Sonadia in Maheshkhali on 8 April, according to a statement issued by the force the following day.
Coast Guard media officer Lt Commander Sabbir Alam Sujon said the family had arrived in Bangladesh in 2024 on tourist visas as part of a plan to travel around the world.
According to the Coast Guard, they planned to undertake the journey by sea on their own wooden boat or trawler.
The force said the authorities had reviewed the security risks and discouraged the family from undertaking such sea travel. It also said safety instructions had been issued to them on 1 March.
The Coast Guard said a review of their passports showed that the passports had expired on 16 January 2026.
Despite the authorities' instructions, the family was staying with their boat near Sonadia in Moheshkhali when a group of miscreants attacked them on the night of 8 April, the statement said.
Several Coast Guard teams then reached the area and rescued the family, it added.
The family subsequently remained in Coast Guard custody, said Cox's Bazar Sadar UNO Tahmina Akter.
The Coast Guard has yet to issue a detailed statement on the incident.
Visa status under question
Tahmina said some members of the family had visas, but their visas had expired.
No visa-related documents had been found for Ralph, she said.
The New Zealand Embassy in Dhaka was informed about the accident soon after it occurred, Tahmina said, adding that embassy officials arrived in Cox's Bazar this evening.
She also said arrangements were being made to hand over the three surviving family members to the embassy after completion of the legal procedures concerning Albert's body.
Cox's Bazar Sadar police OC Sheikh Mohammad Ali said the three survivors were under the supervision of the additional district magistrate and the UNO.
