Elderly woman, her granddaughter drown in canal in Ctg's Fatikchhari

An elderly woman and her eight-year-old granddaughter drowned in a canal in Fatikchhari upazila of Chattogram this afternoon (16 June).

The bodies of the two were recovered from the Dhurung Canal in the Mahisherghona area of Kanchannagar union of the upazila, said Fatikchhari Police Station Officer-in-Charge Nur Mohammad.

The deceased have been identified as Shahanu Begum (50) and her granddaughter Muntaha, both residents of Manikpur village.

Eyewitnesses and local residents reported that around midday, Shahanu took her two granddaughters, Sumaiya and Muntaha, to bathe in the canal near their home. During the bath, Muntaha began to be swept away by the current. In an attempt to save her, Shahanu and Sumaiya tried to pull her back, but the strong current overwhelmed them as well.

Sumaiya managed to swim to safety, but Shahanu was pulled under. After an intense three-hour search, local residents first recovered Shahanu's body, followed shortly by Muntaha's.

OC Nur Mohammad said, "The grandmother and granddaughter drowned while bathing in the canal. Although a fire service team was dispatched, locals had already recovered the bodies before their arrival. A police team also went to the scene. After completing legal formalities, the bodies were handed over to the family."