CU student, cousin drown in pond in Chattogram's Satkania

A student of the University of Chittagong (CU) and her cousin drowned while bathing in a pond at Satkania upazila of Chattogram on Saturday evening.

The deceased were identified as Afifa Abedin, 22, daughter of Zainal Abedin of Monu Fakir Hat area under Kanchana union, and her younger cousin Hujaira Noor, 8, daughter of the late Sirajul Islam of Naurgyapara under Sadaha union. Afifa was a first-year honours student at Chattogram University, while Hujaira was a second-grade student at Uttar Sadaha Government Primary School.

The incident occurred in Naurgyapara area around evening, said Mujibur Rahman, member of ward 1 of Sadaha union parishad. "Both of them went down to the pond to bathe but went missing shortly afterward. Later, locals recovered their bodies floating on the water," he said.

Family members said Afifa had recently come to visit her aunt's house in Naurgyapara. On Saturday, the two had returned from a day-long trip to tourist spots in Bandarban and later entered the pond beside their house for a bath. When they did not return, relatives and neighbours began searching and eventually found the cousins floating unconscious in the water. They were taken to Keranihat Ash-Shefa Hospital, where doctors declared them dead.

Satkania police station officer-in-charge Md Jahedul Islam confirmed the incident, saying, "A police team visited the spot. Since the families did not lodge any complaint, no further legal action was taken."