A tea worker drowned after a boat carrying harvested paddy capsized in Kawadighi haor of Rajnagar upazila in Moulvibazar yesterday evening.

The deceased was identified as Ranjan Bauri, 40, from Shamshernagar’s Chatlapur Tea Garden in Kamalganj upazila, said Rajnagar Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md Farid Uddin Ahmed Bhuiyan.

Quoting locals, the OC said Ranjan and another tea garden worker, Ankar Mia, were returning home by the boat after harvesting paddy from Golaiya beel in the northern part of the haor when the vessel capsized in Muniarpar area under Fatepur union.

Ankar Mia managed to swim ashore, but Ranjan went missing in the water. Locals later rescued him and took him to Rajnagar Upazila Health Complex, where doctors declared him dead, OC Farid Uddin said.

Abdur Rouf, a local resident, said Ranjan had been working as a paddy harvester in the area for the past 15 to 20 days.

OC Farid Uddin said legal procedures would be carried out after consulting the family.

It is to mention that tea garden workers are supporting farmers in harvesting paddy in haor areas during the peak Boro season amid a labour shortage.

The Rajnagar upazila administration in Moulvibazar coordinated with nearby tea estates to deploy workers to assist in paddy harvesting.