Team Group MD Abdullah Hil Rakib laid to rest

Late Abdullah Hil Rakib, managing director of Team Group, was buried at the Shaheen graveyard in Dhaka today after a Namaz-e-Janaza held at the Uttara office of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) in the capital.

The body of Rakib, also a former vice-president of the BGMEA, was flown in from Toronto, Canada, via a Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight on June 13, said BGMEA Administrator Md Anwar Hossain.

Rakib, along with his friend Md Saifuzzaman, a pilot of Biman Bangladesh Airlines, died after their canoe flipped over in Sturgeon Lake in Ontario, Canada, on June 8.

Team Group employs around 20,000 people across its 12 units.

According to its website, the group has a diversified presence spanning apparel manufacturing, retail, pharmaceuticals, IT, and real estate.

According to a report by local outlet CTV News, the incident occurred on Sturgeon Lake in the Kawartha Lakes region of Ontario, about 155 kilometres northeast of Toronto.

Emergency responders were called to the area shortly after 3:00pm local time following reports that a canoe carrying three men had capsized.

In a news release, the Kawartha Lakes Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) said one of the men managed to swim to shore, but the two others were "unable to remain afloat and succumbed to their injuries."

Authorities added that no life jackets were found in the boat.

The local OPP, including its Marine Unit, as well as the City of Kawartha Lakes Fire and EMS and the OPP's Aviation team, were involved in the rescue and recovery efforts, the CTV report said.