Toronto, Canada: A Bangladeshi pilot and a prominent businessman have died after their boat capsized during a family outing on a lake in Ontario, Canada.

Captain Saifuz Zaman Guddu, a pilot for Biman Bangladesh Airlines, and Abdullah Hil Rakib, a former vice-president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), drowned in Kawartha Lake in the township of Linsey on Sunday (8 June), according to family sources.

The two men had set out on the lake during a family trip when their boat suddenly overturned. Both went missing in the water, prompting a large-scale search operation.

The Ontario Provincial Police confirmed that members of its Marine Unit, along with the Fire Service and Aviation team, recovered the bodies during a coordinated rescue and recovery effort.

Rakib was also the managing director of Team Group, a well-known garment conglomerate in Bangladesh. Both men were respected figures within the Bangladeshi expatriate community in North America.

News of their deaths has sent shockwaves through the Bangladeshi diaspora, with many expressing sorrow and condolences on social media.

Authorities have yet to confirm the cause of the accident.

SMS/