7 children and teens drown in separate incidents across 5 districts
In a series of incidents today (11 June), seven minors, including children and teenagers, drowned in separate locations across Narayanganj, Kishoreganj, Khulna, Sylhet, and Rangpur districts.
In Narayanganj, two madrasah students, Khadija, 11 and Israt, 12, drowned while bathing in a pond in the Hajirtek area of Kalapaharia union in the district's Araihazar upazila around 3:30pm.
Local doctor Sikandar Abu Zafar told The Business Standard that the incident came to light when a neighbour, Sabbir Hossain, went to bathe and felt a body under his feet — later identified as Khadija. "Israt's body was recovered shortly afterward."
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Araihazar Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Khandakar Nasir Uddin said, "As the family did not file any complaint, the bodies were handed over for burial without autopsy."
According to family sources, the two girls had come from Dhaka with their families to attend a wedding.
In Kishoreganj, two cousin sisters drowned while bathing in a water-filled pit near their home in Pitua village of Kadirjangal union under Karimganj upazila of the district this afternoon.
The deceased were identified as Yasmin Akhter, 8, daughter of Shafiqul Islam, and Taiyeba Akhter, 9, daughter of Russel Mia. Both were students of a local primary school, reports UNB.
According to family members, the incident occurred around 12:30pm when the two girls went to bathe in a rainwater-filled pit near their house. As they did not return for a long time, family members began searching and eventually found them submerged in the mud under the water.
They were rescued around 2pm and rushed to Karimganj Upazila Health Complex.
Dr Riyad Shahed Rony, Karimganj health and family planning officer, said the two children were brought to the hospital dead. "Emergency department physician Dr Hadiur Rashid declared them dead upon arrival."
In Khulna, 13-year-old Habibur Rahman drowned in the wave pool of Rana Resort and Amusement Park in the Pankhali area of the district's Botiaghata upazila.
Botiaghata Police Station OC Mustafa Khairul Bashar said the incident appears to be a case of negligence. "No formal complaint has been made by the family."
"His body was handed over to his family," the OC added.
According to police and locals, Habibur entered the pool with family members but drowned due to his inability to swim. He was rushed to Botiaghata Upazila Health Complex, where doctors declared him dead.
In Sylhet, a 16-year-old boy drowned in the Piyain River while visiting the popular tourist spot Jaflong this afternoon.
The deceased, Mahin, was the son of Jamil Ahmed from Shahidpara village in Bayezid Bostami area in Chattogram.
"His body was recovered around 2pm by local boatmen. The body had been sent to Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital morgue for an autopsy," Goainghat Police Station OC Sarkar Tofayel Ahmed said.
According to locals, Mahin went to Jaflong with his family today. Around 1:15pm, he went into the Piyain River to swim but soon drowned. After nearly 45 minutes of searching, boatmen found and recovered his body.
In Rangpur, the body of a seventh grader was recovered from a pond near Gobindaganj upazila parishad premises in the district this noon.
The victim was identified as Shahadat Hossain, 14, son of Masud Hossain of the upazila town, reports BSS.
Shahadat was a student of Gobindaganj Government High School.
Family sources said, before going to school Shahadat Hossain along with his friends went to the pond to take bath and went missing.
Later, a team of divers coming from Rangpur conducted a hectic search for the body and found it this noon.
The rising number of drowning cases follows recent incidents on 9 June, where four people died — a man and his nephew in a family pond in Chattogram and a father and son while swimming in the sea at Cox's Bazar.
Besides, on 31 May, two sisters, both minors, drowned in a canal in Brahmanbaria's Nasirnagar upazila.
