Despite three consecutive days of rain and rough sea conditions, tourists continued to crowd Cox’s Bazar beach on Tuesday, ignoring safety warnings as Local Cautionary Signal No. 3 remained in force at the seaport.
Red warning flags have been hoisted at several points along the beach, but many visitors were still seen venturing close to the water, while some entered the sea despite repeated warnings from lifeguards.
A visit to the Laboni beach area on Tuesday afternoon found large numbers of tourists and local tourists enjoying the dramatic monsoon seascape.
Many were taking photographs and videos against the backdrop of towering waves, while others were attempting to bathe in the rough sea despite the red flags.
Asked why they had ignored the warnings, several tourists declined to comment.
Others chose to admire the sea from a safe distance.
Nur Sultana, a tourist, said they had travelled to Cox’s Bazar because all their bookings had already been confirmed.
“I’ve never seen the sea this fierce before. It’s breathtaking,” she said. “But I also saw many people ignoring the red flags and entering the water. That could lead to a serious accident.”
Another tourist, Sumrit Pal, said, “We came here with our family. The atmosphere is wonderful, but the sea is so rough that we don’t have the courage to go into the water.”
To prevent accidents, members of Sea Safe Lifeguard have intensified beach patrols and public awareness campaigns.
Senior lifeguard Rashid Ahmed said red flags had been raised at hazardous sections of the beach because Local Warning Signal No. 3 remained in effect.
Entering the sea in areas marked with red flags is extremely dangerous, he said.
“Despite repeated warnings, some tourists continue to ignore safety instructions. We are constantly blowing whistles, making public announcements and asking them directly to return to safe areas,” he added.
He urged visitors to exercise maximum caution during the adverse weather and avoid entering the sea where red flags are displayed.
Officials from the district administration, Tourist Police and lifeguards are jointly working at different points along the beach to ensure tourists’ safety.
Authorities expressed concern that many tourists were still disregarding repeated safety warnings and urged everyone to follow official instructions to avoid accidents.
Meanwhile, Assistant Meteorologist Md Abdul Hannan of the Cox’s Bazar Meteorological Office said the district recorded 129 millimetres of rainfall over the past 24 hours.
He said rainfall was likely to continue over the next few days as the monsoon remained active.
The Bay of Bengal also remains rough, with Local Cautionary Signal No. 3 still in force at Cox’s Bazar seaport.
Fishing boats and trawlers have been advised to stay close to the coast and operate with caution until weather conditions improve.
By Abdu Rashid Manik
Photo: Abdu Rashid Manik
