A child went missing after a sand-laden shallow-engine vehicle overturned and fell into the Padma River in Kumarkhali upazila on Friday.

Three other children who were in the vehicle were rescued alive.

The accident occurred around 10am near the Shilaidah Ghat area of Kasba Mouza in Shilaidah Union, adjacent to the river.

One child missing after Padma riverbank collapse in Kushtia

The missing child was identified as Md Alif, 08, son of Mansur Pramanik of Kasba area in Shilaidah Union.

According to locals, Jihad and Omar Faruk got onto the sand-laden vehicle from a nearby block-making yard in the Kasba area.

As the vehicle was passing along a narrow road, the driver reportedly tried to give way to a motorcycle. The vehicle then slipped and overturned, falling into the Padma River.

The driver managed to climb out of the vehicle, while locals immediately rescued three of the children from the river. However, Alif could not be found.

A team of Kumarkhali Fire Service and Civil Defence began a rescue operation around 11:10am.

Efforts by locals to locate the missing child were hampered by the strong current in the river.

The vehicle was later recovered with the help of locals and Fire Service personnel.

Nasir Uddin, station officer of Kumarkhali Fire Service and Civil Defence, said they had launched the rescue operation after receiving the news.

“Three children were rescued alive with the help of locals, but one remains missing,” he said, adding that a diving team from Khulna had been informed and would join the search operation.