EXCLUSIVE: 29-Year-Old Coral Lagoon Swimmer Identified As MCAST Student Tanmoy
The 29-year-old man who tragically lost his life in Mellieħa’s Coral Lagoon has been identified as MCAST student Kamonashish Chandrow Tanmoy.
News that Tanmoy was missing at sea spread among the Bangladeshi community in Malta last Saturday, with the hashtag #PrayForTanmoy making the rounds online.
“I am shocked and saddened to hear that Tanmoy is missing. I don’t know if he is alive now. If he survives, I pray to Allah for his return,” one friend had said.
“Where are you?” another person posted on his Facebook page as a search was underway for him. “I am missing you a lot, brother”.
However, just a day later, Tanmoy’s body was found by the Armed Forces of Malta two miles out at sea.
Tanmoy had come to Malta in January on a student visa and was studying at MCAST, and lived with three other students in Malta.
Tanmoy was a student in Malta
Tanmoy spent some time working as a waiter in the prestigious Lord Nelson Restaurant in Mosta.
Head chef Steve Vella described him as a “funny and loveable guy, we used to have fun working together, he was a nice person to work with,” and sent his condolences to Tanmoy’s family and loved ones on behalf of the restaurant.
“Since he avoided eating certain meats, I would often make him a special egg-fried rice, and he loved me for it,” Vella recounted fondly.
His parents, who live in the Sylhet District in Bangladesh, have been left “shocked and furious” at the news of their son’s death.
His mother last spoke to her son at around 9am last Thursday – his last words to his mother were “I’ll call you later”, a family friend told Lovin Malta.
At first, the parents remained hopeful and positive after he was reported missing. However, they are now requesting an autopsy to be held to confirm the exact reason for his death – they do not rule out foul play and do not believe it was a natural death.
Tanmoy’s body was found around two miles from A?rax Point in Mellie?a on Monday after a three-day search and rescue operation.
His body was returned to the port of Marfa in Malta via patrol boat.
Two men were initially reported as missing at sea – Tanmoy and a 21-year-old friend of his. However, the 21-year-old made it back onto land safely with only minor injuries.
Magistrate Charmaine Galea has ordered an inquiry into the death and Mellie?a police are leading the investigation – however, the Maltese-Bangladeshi community remains at a loss after the untimely death of one of their young men.
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