5 children drown in Chapainawabganj river

Five children have drowned in a branch of the Padma River in Charchakla village of Debinagar Union in Chapainawabganj Sadar upazila.

The incident occurred at around 1:00 pm today, Friday.

The deceased children are Sumaiya, 10, and Ariba, 8, daughters of Md Masud of Charchakla village; Sumaiya, 12, and Suraiya, 9, daughters of Md Nizamuddin; and Sharifa, 12, the only daughter of Shariful.

Abdul Halim Hamad, a resident of the village and a student of Rajshahi University, said the children had gone to bathe in the river without informing anyone during Friday prayers today. No one realised that they had gone to the river. They later drowned.

Although the river is a branch of the Padma, it is locally known as the ‘Mora Nodi (Dead River)’. Water from the Padma enters the river during the monsoon and periods of rain. During the rest of the year, there is hardly any water in the river. Crops are then cultivated on the riverbed and surrounding land. Recently, water has entered the river due to rainfall and a rise in the water level of the Padma.

After a search, the bodies of the five children were recovered from the river. The deaths of five children from the same village have cast a pall of grief over the area. The atmosphere has grown heavy with the wailing of relatives.

Ekaramul Hossain, officer-in-charge of Chapainawabganj Sadar police station, confirmed the incident and said, “We have confirmed the deaths of five girls. However, we have not yet received their detailed identities. We have sent our personnel to the scene and will be able to provide more details later.”