Editorial
Deaths again at the beach
Safety considerations can't be left to chance
With more people crowding the seashore round the year the incidence of drowning has increased at Cox's Bazar. In the latest tragedy, three young men, one of them a promising singer, were swept away by the waves while swimming at Kolatoli point on Friday evening. Worse, they were suspected to have been trapped in quicksand.
Let's not forget, Cox's bazaar being the longest sea beach in the world draws five lac tourists every year. In stark contrast to the high level of its attraction it has some of the poorest safety standards in the world. This is in spite of the fact that, unlike at other popular beaches, like Miami in the US and Brighton in England, the sea in Cox's Bazaar is quite turbulent, especially during the summer.
Colourful hotels and motels have come up, communication to the place has also improved and facilities are expanding, yet there seems to be no system at work in the coastline that would help the visitors to be watchful about the timing and selection of spots for swimming, especially the use of beach after dusk.
The beach authorities should have adequate number of bay-watchers including volunteers who would keep alerting the fun-seekers with do's and dont's topped off by availability of life guards and other safety gears in case of emergency. Essentially, the individuals and the groups should be fully aware of the risks involved in venturing out to the sea.
The tourism ministry and private tour operators should work in concert to provide facilities to make the beach a safer and more enjoyable place. Raising awareness and constant watch over the visitors, especially the young ones should be an effective tool to prevent accidents in future. Night time swimming should be totally banned.
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