Four children drowned in different places of Kishoreganj and Pabna on Monday.

Two children drowned in a pond near their house while playing in Gundhar union of Kishoreganj’s Karimganj upazila at noon.

The deceased were identified as Ayesha Akhter, 10, daughter of Abul Kashem of the Dakkhin Astoka Nurer Vita village and Asha Moni (9), daughter of Kamal Miah of the same village.

Meanwhile, another two children drowned in Manoharpur village of Pabna’s Maligachha union while playing near a pond at around 2 pm Monday.

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The deceased were identified as Jewel Rana, 13, son of Abul Hossain and and Jehad Hossain, 13, son of Ziaur Rahman of the same village.

Local UP member Ekram Hossain said both of them were playing in the pond. Suddenly one of them fell in the water while the other drowned while trying to save him.

Drowning in Bangladesh

Drowning is the leading cause of death for children under five in Bangladesh. According to Bangladesh Health and Injury Survey(BHIS), in Bangladesh nearly 17,000 children drown annually, an average of around 46 each day.

A cross-governmental taskforce was established on drowning prevention – led by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, with representation from 12 departments. The task force is working to prepare a ‘National Drowning Reduction Strategy’.

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According to the WHO’s latest estimates, drowning is the cause of 235,000 deaths every year. Many countries including Bangladesh report drowning as a leading cause of childhood mortality, particularly in children under-5.