Photo: BSS

COX'S BAZAR, July 28, 2025 (BSS) – The vast areas of St. Martin, a coral island in the district, have been devastated by the tidal surge due to the impact of a low pressure.
 
Locals said the tidal waves have caused extensive damages to 11 hotel and resorts along the coast here.

“The tide rose to one to three feets uprooting many trees and entering saline water into the localities,” said Acting Chairman of St Martin Union Parishad Faizul Islam here.
 
He said 100 houses were submerged in the island due to the tidal surge that created panic among the locals.
 
Local residents told BSS that in the last two days, large waves have been unleashed due to the impact of a low pressure in the Bay of Bengal. At least 11 hotels along with their concrete structures have been destroyed and many trees were uprooted.
 
Abdul Aziz, a resident of Uttarpara in St. Martin said, “Most of the hotels adjacent to the beach have been submerged by the tidal water. As the water started receding, the damage is emerging. I have never seen so much erosion like this before.”
 
Another resident Abdur Rashid said the surroundings of St. Martin have been eroded by the tidal waters in the last two days. Therefore, there is no alternative to a sustainable embankment to save St. Martin.
 
Talking to BSS, Cox's Bazar Youth Environment Society (YES) Chairman Advocate Mujibul Haque, however, said the hotels those were damaged by the tidal waters were basically built without government’s approval.
 
There is a widespread allegation that a few hotels were constructed by encroaching sandbanks without approval of the authorities concerned, he said.
 
Asked about this, Teknaf Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Sheikh Ehsan said, “I have heard that several hotels in St. Martin have been damaged by the tidal waters. We are looking into the matter and are investigating further.”