Two children drowned in a pond in Naogaon district town on Saturday.

The deceased were identified as Russel Hossain, 16, son of Shyamol Hossain and his step sister Shimu Khatun, 6, daughter of Shaon Uddin.

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Rebeka Begum, mother of the two children, used to live with her second husband Shaon Uddin in Bangabaria Moholla of the district town.

Quoting Jotsna Begum, grandmother of the two children, police said Russel and Shimu went to a pond of Barind Multipurpose Development Authority , 500 yards off their house, during rain.

When the two children did not return home after a long period, the family members went to the pond and found shoes and towel near the bank of the pond.

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On information, a firefighting unit rushed in and recovered the bodies from the pond, said Nazrul Islam Jewel, officer-in-charge of Sadar Police Station.

The bodies were then handed over to family on Saturday evening after completing all necessary formalities.

Drowning in Bangladesh

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

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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’.

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.