An Irish national, Carmel Nolin, 58, died of a heart attack while visiting the Sundarbans on Saturday.
“Nolin had boarded the launch MV Alaska on Friday for a Sundarbans tour. On Saturday morning, as the launch reached Kochikhali, she fell seriously ill and passed away, said East Sundarbans Divisional Forest Officer Rezaul Karim Chowdhury.
A doctor among the tourists examined her and confirmed it was a heart attack, he said.
According to fellow tourists, Nolin became unwell after breakfast and died shortly afterward.
Nolin’s husband, Khandakar Murad Mahmud, a resident of Gangadhar Patti in Manikganj Sadar upazila, is Bangladeshi. Both were brought to Sarankhola police station, and the launch will complete its tour and return to Khulna on Sunday. There were 70 tourists on board, said Mazharul Islam, joint general secretary of the Sundarbans Tour Operators Association (TWOAS), said.
Sarankhola police station Officer-in-Charge Md Shahidullah said an autopsy is planned to prevent any controversy due to her foreign nationality.
