A houseboat carrying four of a New Zealand family broke into two and sank after being hit by large waves and strong currents in the sea off Nazirartek Point along Cox’s Bazar coast on Tuesday morning.

Three family members were rescued with the help of fishermen and locals, while another family member remained missing, said police.

The boat, named “Island Girl”, set out to sea in the morning, and the incident occurred shortly afterwards near the estuary of the Moheshkhali Channel, fishermen said.

According to witnesses and local fishermen, the boat encountered strong waves and currents shortly after setting out. The force of the waves split the vessel in two, throwing all four family members into the sea.

Fishermen and locals rushed to the scene and launched a rescue operation. They rescued John Edward, 74; his wife Bella, 36; and their son Ralph, 13. Their other son, Albert, 16, remained missing after falling into the sea.

Members of Cox’s Bazar Fire Service and Civil Defence and the Coast Guard later joined the rescue efforts and started searching for the missing teen.

Syed Mohammad Morshed Hossain, deputy director of the Cox’s Bazar Fire Service, said the three rescued were given primary treatment.

“As soon as we received the information, one of our teams responded,” he said, adding that rescue operations were proving difficult as they did not have a diving team.

Sheikh Mohammad Ali, officer-in-charge of Cox’s Bazar Sadar Police Station, said, “The Coast Guard is conducting a search operation for the missing teen. The three rescued family members are currently in Coast Guard custody.”

After the accident, the damaged vessel was brought back to the coast with the help of two boats.

According to the family, they had the houseboat built at a cost of more than Tk 1 crore and recently obtained its licence. The vessel had air-conditioned rooms, a kitchen, a refrigerator and other facilities.

Built specifically for private adventure and sea travel, the houseboat reportedly took around two years to complete.

The New Zealand family had been living aboard the vessel for some time while it was anchored in the Bakkhali River, opposite the Nuniachhara BIWTA jetty.

The family had arrived in Bangladesh from New Zealand on their own boat a few years ago, but the vessel was later lost to robbers.

Ralph said the family was travelling by sea to Chattogram on the houseboat to extend their visas. He and his father were on deck at the time, while his mother was under the tarpaulin canopy helping Albert put on a life jacket.

The boat suddenly broke apart, Ralph said. He added that the clip on Albert’s life jacket may not have been fastened and that his brother did not know how to swim.

Ralph said the family had been staying around Cox’s Bazar and travelling by sea and river for about two and a half years.