The Forest Department has suspended three-day tourist permits for wooden-hulled boats in the Satkhira Range of the Sundarbans indefinitely following the death of a tourist, leaving local tour operators concerned about business losses.
The decision was taken verbally at meetings held at the divisional forest office on November 8 and 9.
Permission for one-day tours, however, will continue under the existing rules, said divisional forest officer AZM Hasanur Rahman.
Riaz Ahmed, a tourist from Bhaluka in Mymensingh, went missing while visiting the Sundarbans on November 6. His body was recovered from a char near Matharkhal in Alorkol on the night of November 8 after search operations by the Forest Department and Coast Guard.
Md Jahangir Alam, cashier of the Munshiganj Trawler Owners Association, said tourists had been visiting the area from Munshiganj for around 35 years and such an incident had not occurred before.
He said boat owners and workers would meet to decide their next course of action before approaching the divisional forest officer.
Divisional Forest Officer AZM Hasanur Rahman said three-day permits for wooden-hulled boats had been suspended indefinitely, while one-day permits would continue under existing rules.
He said preparations were underway to issue an official notice on the suspension and that the matter was being discussed with senior officials.
According to the Forest Department and tour operators, a 16-year-old tourist, Mahit Abdullah, drowned after being swept away by currents while swimming at Dimer Char in Kochikhali on September 13, 2025.
In another incident, a tourist boat capsized in the Pashur River on February 24, 2023, but all 13 tourists on board were rescued. Another boat carrying 13 tourists capsized in Dhangmari Khal on November 8, 2025.