Team Group MD Abdullah Hil Rakib and Biman pilot Captain Guddu drown in Canada

Abdullah Hil Rakib, Managing Director of Team Group and former Senior Vice President of BGMEA, and Captain Saifuz Zaman Guddu, a senior pilot of Biman Bangladesh Airlines, have died in a tragic boating accident in Canada.

The incident occurred on Sunday afternoon (local time) in Sturgeon Lake, located in the Kawartha Lakes region of Ontario.

According to The Canadian Press, the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) reported that a canoe carrying three men capsized shortly after 3:00 pm. While one of the passengers managed to swim back to shore, the other two—Abdullah Hil Rakib and Saifuz Zaman—were unable to stay afloat and lost their lives.

Police confirmed that none of the individuals on the boat were wearing life jackets at the time of the accident, which could have potentially saved their lives.

Rakib was a prominent figure in Bangladesh’s apparel sector, having served as a BGMEA director for two consecutive terms from 2013 to 2015 and from 2015 to 2017. According to his LinkedIn profile, Team Group began its journey in the garments and textile sector in 2009 with three manufacturing units.

Captain Saifuz Zaman Guddu, a former pilot of the Bangladesh Air Force, had recently travelled to Canada with his family to visit his daughter, who is currently studying at a local university.