US expat woman missing after tourist boat capsizes in Mongla's Pashur river
All the passengers fell into the river. Some managed to swim ashore, while others were rescued by nearby locals
A US expatriate woman went missing after a tourist boat capsized in the Pashur River in Mongla today (8 November).
The incident occurred around 11:30am today. Members of the Forest Department and locals have launched a search operation at the scene to locate the missing woman.
According to Surjit Chowdhury, station officer of the Sundarbans East Forest Division's Dhangmari Station, a group of 13 tourists was travelling to the Karamjal tourist centre from the 'Mangrove Valley' resort in Dhangmari after spending the night there.
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"Around 11:30am, when their small boat reached the confluence of the Dhangmari canal and the Pashur River, it overturned due to strong waves," the station officer said.
"All the passengers fell into the river. Some managed to swim ashore, while others were rescued by nearby locals. However, one woman, identified as 28-year-old Riana Abzal, went missing."
Riana is a former pilot of the Bangladesh Air Force who later moved to the US. The Forest Department is continuing its search operation to locate her.
Describing the incident, Riana's father, Air Force engineer Abul Kalam Azad, said, "A naval ship passing by created large waves that caused their small boat to capsize."
"All 13 of us fell into the river. Twelve managed to get out, but Riana could not be found," he said.
