Tourist killed in parasailing fall in Cox's Bazar

A tourist from Khulna was killed after falling into the sea while parasailing at Cox’s Bazar beach on Saturday, raising fresh concerns over the safety of adventure tourism activities in the country’s popular tourist destination.

The victim, Shouvik Roy, was visiting Cox’s Bazar with a group of nine tourists. The accident occurred at around 12:30pm in the Dariyanagar beach area.

According to eyewitnesses, Roy was thrown into the sea after becoming detached from his safety harness during the parasailing. He sustained critical injuries and was rescued by personnel from sea sports parasailing, who rushed him to Cox’s Bazar Sadar Hospital, where doctors declared him dead.

The incident sparked grief among the victim’s relatives and fellow travellers, while locals expressed anger over what they described as long-standing negligence in ensuring safety standards for parasailing operations.

Local people alleged that despite several accidents in recent years, authorities have failed to enforce effective safety measures or take visible action against operators violating regulations.

Records show that on August 30 last year, a tourist was left hanging from the top of a casuarina tree after a parasailing mishap in the same area. The district administration temporarily suspended all parasailing activities following the incident.

Earlier, on May 20, 2025, a tourist couple was injured after falling into the sea during a parasailing ride at Dariyanagar. Authorities later said the operator had violated safety rules by allowing two passengers to fly together in adverse weather conditions. The company’s equipment was seized, and its operations were suspended.

In another incident the same year, a female tourist was injured after falling into the sea during parasailing, prompting another temporary suspension over alleged safety violations.

Locals claim that many parasailing operators in the Dariyanagar and Himchhari areas continue to use substandard safety equipment, outdated ropes, inadequately maintained machinery, and insufficient rescue facilities, putting tourists’ lives at risk.

H M Nazrul Islam, member secretary of the Cox’s Bazar Citizens’ Movement, called for international-standard safety measures, trained operators, regular technical inspections, strict monitoring, and greater accountability. He urged authorities to suspend risky parasailing operations until safety standards are verified and a comprehensive regulatory framework is introduced.

As of Saturday evening, neither the district administration, tourism authorities, nor sea sports parasailing had issued an official statement regarding the fatal accident.