Drowning
Two children drown in Ctg pond
Two minor girls drowned in a pond near their home in Barahatia Union of Lohagara Upazila in Chattogram on Monday.
The deceased were identified as Tasfia Tabassum Raisa,8, daughter of Abu Taher of Maizpara area of the union and Fatema Jannat Sumaiya, 9, daughter of Monir Uddin in the same area. Both were the students of class III of Barahatia Maizpara Noorani Academy.
Bijay Barua, chairman of Barahatia Union Parishad said that Raisa and Sumaiya were playing near the pond adjacent to their house and slipped into the pond at one stage.
Later, locals found their bodies floating and took them to a nearby hospital where doctors declared them dead on arrival.
Read: 2 children drown in Naogaon pond
Toddler drowns in Kurigram pond
A one-and-a-half-year-old drowned in a pond near his house while playing there in Kurigram's Rowmari upazila Friday.
The deceased was identified as Abu Horayra, son of Samaun Islam of Uttarpara village of Sadar union.
"Horayra was playing in the yard of his house at 10am. As the family members were not around, he fell into the pond and drowned," Samaun said.
"His family members started looking for him as he was not seen anywhere. At one stage, Horayra's body was found floating on the pond near his house," Rup Kumar Sarkar, officer-in-charge of Roumari Police Station, said.
Read: 2 children drown in Naogaon pond
Two boys drown in Kapotaksha river in Jhenaidah
Two boys drowned after a boat carrying them capsized in the Kapotaksha river in Maheshpur upazila of the district on Friday.
The deceased were identified as Jibon, 14, and his paternal cousin Sabbir Hossain, 9. They were residents of Hospitalpara under Maheshpur municipality.
Locals said several boys including the victims went to the river to take bath in the afternoon. After taking the bath they all boarded a boat which suddenly capsized in the municipality area nearby Kampara Rajdhani Bakery.
Though others managed to swim ashore, the victims drowned in the river, they said.
Md Abdus Sobhan Howladar, station officer (acting) of Maheshpur Fire Service said on information their divers rushed to the spot and recovered the bodies from the river after two hours of searching.
Read: 2 children drown in Naogaon pond
Selim Miah, officer-in-charge of Mahespur Police Station said they handed over the bodies to the families upon their asking without an autopsy.
However, an unnatural death case was filed with the police station, he added.
School teacher drowns while crossing river in Thakurgaon
Fire service members recovered the body of a 45-year old primary school teacher on Thursday from the Tangon River in Thakurgaon sadar upazila after he went missing while crossing the river by swimming.
The deceased was identified as Tailakkha Barman, assistant teacher of South Bathina Islam Para Government Primary School.
His body was recovered around 1:30 pm from near Kazirghat area, eight kilometers off the spot where he drowned on Wednesday, said Md Sarwar Hossain, warehouse inspector of Thakurgaon fire service and civil defence.
A diving team from Rangpur recovered his body, he said.
Read: 2 children drown in Naogaon pond
On Wednesday, Tailakkha Barman drowned in the river while swimming to return home after the school.
“He used to cross the river by a small boat twice everyday to reach the school and return. On Wednesday as the boat was not available he decided to swim,” said Abu Bakkar Siddiki, president of the school committee.
2 including child drown in Barishal
Two including a child drowned in separate places of Agailjhara upazila in Barishal on Monday.
The deceased were identified as Yasin Foria, 20, from Sullashi village and Ibrahim Shikder, 1, from Chadtrishira village.
Also read: Two kids drown in Chandpur
Yasin went missing after he went for a bath in the pond at noon, said his father Shahjalal Foria.
He was later rescued from the upazila health complex where doctors announced him dead on arrival.
Meanwhile, Ibrahim drowned in a pond while playing and was declared dead after being taken to upazila health complex,said his father Mozam Shikder.
Also read: Two siblings drown in Panchagarh
Dr Farhana Islam from upazila health complex said, “Both of them died vbefore arrival.”
Two siblings drown in Panchagarh
Two siblings have drowned in a pond in Tetulia upazila of Panchagarh, police said on Tuesday.
The deceased were identified as Mojibor Rahman, 8, and Habiba, 6, children of Abdul Hannan of Shalbahan union in the upazila, said Jahangir Alam, officer-in-charge of Tetulia model police station.
The tragedy occurred on Monday evening when their father left them near the pond in the Khalpara area so as to ferry bricks to the family house in the Nalagach area in an auto-rickshaw.
Also read: Over 14,000 children die in Bangladesh due to drowning every year
As they were missing when he returned, along with locals, he started searching for them and recovered their bodies from the pond later, the OC said.
“A case of unnatural death has been filed in this regard,” said the officer.
Also read: Young tourist drowns in Nikli haor
According to WHO and UNICEF, each year, over 14,000 children in Bangladesh die due to drowning.
Although largely unrecognised, drowning is the second leading cause of death for children under the age of five in the country.
Boat capsizes in Turag, pregnant woman drowns
The body of a pregnant woman was recovered from the Turag River in Ashulia union of Savar upazila of Dhaka after a boat sank in the river Monday morning.
The deceased was identified as Rozina Begum, 22, wife of Ashiqur Rahman of Rangpur and a garment worker in Ashulia, said Idris Hossain, in charge of Tongi Fire Service.
The boat with 30 passengers on board sank in the mid river in the morning. All the passengers but Rozina managed to swim ashore, he said.
Also read: Over 14,000 children die in Bangladesh due to drowning every year
A diving team of Tongi fire service fished out her body from the river around 12 pm.
“The boat might have capsized due to overload. The body has been handed to the family,” he said.
Also read: Young tourist drowns in Nikli haor
Over 14,000 children die in Bangladesh due to drowning every year
Marking the World Drowning Prevention Day, WHO and UNICEF on Monday called on the governments, development partners, communities and individuals each to do their part to raise awareness and work to prevent the untimely deaths of thousands of children across the country.
Each year, over 14,000 children in Bangladesh die due to drowning.
Although largely unrecognized, drowning is the second leading cause of death for children under the age of five in the country, making it a major public health problem.
“It is heart-breaking that so many lives are lost each year in this country. We know that these deaths are preventable. We urge individuals, communities and the government to join us in raising awareness and doing all we can to ensure every child’s right to survive and thrive,” said Sheldon Yett, UNICEF Representative to Bangladesh.
Globally, drowning claims the lives of over 230,000 people every year.
Nine in ten drowning cases occur in low- and middle-income countries, with children under the age of five being at the highest risk.
Read: Drowning kills 2.5 million people in last decade: WHO
In Bangladesh, where large areas of land remain submerged due to yearly floods, the absence of awareness and swimming skills can prove to be life-threatening.
Children in rural areas who grow up near bodies of water are also exposed to the risk of drowning daily.
Drowning is a significant public health concern and the third leading cause of unintentional death worldwide. Drowning is one of the leading causes of death among children in Bangladesh.
WHO recommends strategies and interventions to prevent drowning and continues to promote a multisectoral approach. By enhancing multisectoral collaboration, promoting strong leadership on drowning prevention, and implementing necessary actions, we can prevent the tragedy of drowning and achieve a safer, healthier future for all,” said Dr. Bardan Jung Rana, WHO Representative to Bangladesh.
Evidence shows that drowning is preventable through low-cost solutions. Increased awareness among families and communities, providing safety and swimming skills for children and adolescents, ensuring childcare facilities for pre-school children, and national policies and investments for prevention can make a significant difference.
In 2021, the United Nations General Assembly declared July 25 as World Drowning Prevention Day to acknowledge drowning as a leading cause of death around the world and highlight that every drowning death is preventable.
WHO and UNICEF have been working with Government and non-government partners around the country to increase awareness on drowning prevention and provide children and adolescents with safe swimming skills.
8 drown in 5 districts during Eid holidays
Eight people, including seven children, drowned in Chattogram, Sylhet, Chapainawabganj, Sherpur and Brahmanbaria districts during Eid holidays.
In Chattogram, two children drowned in a canal in Kolpolok residential area in Bakolia of the city around 1pm on Tuesday while playing near the canal.
The deceased were identified as Md Shamim, 10, and Rabiul Islam, 7, residents of the area.
Sadiqur Rahman, officer-in-charge (OC) (investigation) of Panchlaish police station, said locals rescued the children and took them to Chattogram Medical College and Hospital (CMCH) where doctors announced them dead on arrival.
In Sylhet, a tourist drowned in the river at Jaflong, a tourist destination, this noon, said Md Ratan Sheikh, in-charge of Jaflong Tourist Police.
The deceased was identified as Mahidul Islam, 19, of Narsingdi district. He was a 2nd year student of Narsingdi Ideal College.
He among three people drowned in the river while taking bath, however, two of them managed to swim to the shore, said the official.
Later, fire service divers recovered Mahidul’s body from the river around 6pm, he added.
Read: Child Drowning Prevention: Water safety tips to save your kid from drowning
In Chapainawabganj, a 12-year-old boy drowned in the Mahananda River in the town this noon, said Mozaffar Hossain, officer-in-charge (OC) of Chapainawabganj Sadar police station.
The deceased was identified as Kawsar, son of Mesbaul Hoque of the district town.
Later, divers of the fire service rescued the boy and rushed him to district Sadar Hospital where doctors declared him dead, the OC added.
In Sherpur, a schoolboy drowned in a pond at a college playground in Pakuria union in the morning while playing football, said Naeem Md Nahid Hasan, inspector (Investigation) of Sherpur Sadar police station.
The deceased was identified as Munayem Islam Mishuk, a class X student of Sherpur Government Technical School and College.
Fire service divers recovered the body around 11am, said the OC.
In Brahmanbaria, two siblings drowned in a pond in Nabinagar upazila Monday evening.
The deceased were identified as Jannat Aktar, 10, and Sadia Aktar, 7, daughters of Md Atik Mia of the upazila.
The siblings slipped into the pond adjacent to their house and drowned, said Md Aminur Rashid, officer-in-charge (OC) of Nabinagar police station.
Later, locals recovered the bodies from the pond, he added.
In the district town, a schoolboy drowned in a canal at Kautali Sunday morning while bathing a sacrificial animal in the canal.
The deceased was identified as Nabil Rahman, a grade seven student of Ideal Residential School and College.
Fire service divers rescued Nabil's body from the Karulia canal after five hours of drowning, said district Fire Service Team Leader Md Jewel Mia.
2 indigenous men drown in Rangamati
The bodies of two indigenous men were recovered from the Kachalong river in Baghaichhari upazila of Rangamati district on Thursday morning, a day after they drowned in the river.
The deceased were identified as Shukar Chakma, 32, and Chirojyoti Chakma, 42, of the upazila.
Read:Flash flood submerges fresh areas in Sherpur; Child drowns
Locals said the duo drowned while fishing in the river on Wednesday. The divers of fire service failed to rescue them after conducting an operation.
Some residents of Rupkari union spotted Shukar’s body near Bijoy ghat area and Chirojyoti’s body in Golachhari area around 6am today, said Baghaichhari Upazila Nirbahi Officer Rumana Akhter.
The bodies were handed over to their respective families after completing legal procedures, she added.