The Cox's Bazar district administration has sent food and other daily essentials for about one month to St Martin's Island through a tourist ship after nine days.

The tourist ship Baro Awlia left a Cox's Bazar BIWTA jetty this afternoon ferrying the goods, to ease the ongoing food crisis on the island due to the conflict in Myanmar, reports our Cox's Bazar staff correspondent quoting Yamin Hossain, additional district magistrate.

Over the last few days, several trawlers, tourist ships, and speedboats had been fired upon from the Myanmar side of the border.

Some 150 people from St Martin's, who were stranded in Teknaf and Cox's Bazar, also travelled home on the ship after at least nine days.

The move comes as the island was almost out of food and other supplies after the suspension of vessel movement on the usual route via the Naf river.

St Martin's Island, which can only be accessed by boats, hasn't received regular supplies since June 6.

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St Martin’s running out of supplies

The government sent some foodstuff, and traders took food items, including rice, onion, potato, fruits and other essentials on the ship which would last them for at least one month, the additional district magistrate added.

Rehena Akhter, a resident of Konarpara on the Island, said she came to Cox's Bazar along with her husband and their three-year-old daughter to take a tour and also visit the doctor 10 days ago.

"We wanted to return home yesterday [Thursday] on a fishing trawler from Teknaf, but dared not to after witnessing the rough sea," she said.

"We were staying at a hotel and had to spend a lot of money as our brief trip was prolonged," she added.

Luna Akhter, a second-year honours student of Cox's Bazar Government College, also a resident of the island, said the government could have provided sea trucks for safe transportation of St Martin's residents as the only route to the island was closed off due to the conflict in Myanmar.

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St Martin’s Island cut off from mainland

Meanwhile, the sounds of mortar shells and grenade explosions across the border in Myanmar's Rakhine state rocked the bordering areas of Teknaf last night till early morning.

Explosions could be heard from 7:00pm Thursday to 2:00am today. However, there were explosions during the day till Friday evening, locals said.

Nevertheless, panic gripped locals as a Myanmar warship was spotted in the Badarmokam area near Shahporir Dwip on the Teknaf-Saint Martin waterway, on Naf river.

Teknaf Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Adnan Chowdhury confirmed that the ship belonged to Myanmar.

Residents of St Martin's were also panicking after noticing three Myanmar warships near the island.

Mohammad Hashem, a resident of Dailpara of St Martin's Island, said he had never seen Myanmar's warships placed so close to the island before.

"From these ships, the Myanmar troops fight with the Arakan Army. We hear the sounds of explosions. We are very scared," he said.