United News of Bangladesh

Three children drowned in a pond in Nabiganj upazila of Habiganj on Wednesday afternoon. The deceased were identified as Shrabon Sarker (3), son of Ratish Sarker; Shubho Sarker (4), son of Jagai Sarker; and Ahona Sarker (5), daughter of Brojlal Sarker of Noagaon village. Shrabon and Shubho were cousins, while Ahona was their paternal cousin. They were visiting Panjarai village under Kargaon union. According to the police and local sources, the three children were playing in the yard around 1:30 pm, when one of them accidentally fell into the pond. The other two jumped in to save their cousin but all three drowned. Two children drown in pond in Shariatpur village Later, a woman spotted Ahona’s body floating in the pond and raised the alarm. Villagers then recovered all three bodies and took them to Nabiganj Upazila Health Complex, where doctors declared them dead. Dr Champak Kishore Saha Suman, the residential medical officer of the health complex, confirmed the deaths. On information, SI Anisur Rahman of Nabiganj Police Station visited the spot.

What should have been a time of warmth, laughter and familial bliss has instead left behind the silence of mourning, as the Eid holidays witnessed the tragic loss of at least 14 lives, including children, in a heartbreaking series of drownings across the country. From tranquil village ponds to the lively tourist shores of Cox’s Bazar and the scenic waters of Sylhet, the ripples of joy turned into waves of grief, underscoring a harrowing national truth—drowning remains a silent predator, claiming lives that might have been saved. Tears in Noakhali and Moulvibazar: Families Shattered In the quiet corner of Subarnachar upazila in Noakhali, an ordinary afternoon turned devastating when two cousins—Faria Akter, just three years old, and her five-year-old playmate Mohammad Tahasin—slipped away into eternity. Visiting their grandfather’s home in the Char Jubilee area, the children, gleeful in the spirit of Eid, wandered near a pond. Their laughter was the last sound heard before the water claimed them. Miles away, in the peaceful village of Hamidpur in Moulvibazar’s Juri upazila, a father’s love met a tragic end. Babul Ahmed Babu, 60, a brick kiln owner, had taken it upon himself to teach his daughter Halima Mohammad, 18, how to swim. What began as a tender lesson ended in heartbreak. Halima lost her footing and disappeared beneath the water’s surface, and in a desperate attempt to save her, her father followed. Both lives were extinguished within moments, their final embrace submerged in sorrow. A Grim Toll at the Sea’s Edge: Cox’s Bazar Mourns The salty breeze of Cox’s Bazar could not sweep away the anguish that settled over the beach town, where a series of drownings unfolded within a mere 16 hours. Two cousin sisters drown in water pit in Kishoreganj Among the victims were Shahinur Rahman, 60, and his 20-year-old son Sifat from Rajshahi. The two were swimming near Kolatoli beach, likely sharing a rare and joyous moment of bonding, when the sea turned hostile and swallowed them whole. Elsewhere, the lifeless body of local fisherman Nurul Saudagar was pulled from the Nazirar Tek area, having vanished while engaged in the livelihood that once sustained him. Three more bodies were found across Pechar Dwip, Bokkhali estuary, and Diabetes Point—each discovery a cruel punctuation mark in a string of grief, raising the death toll in the area to six. Promise Unfulfilled: Youth Lost in Rivers and Ravines In Tangail’s Bhuapur upazila, the waters of the Bairan River silenced the dreams of BRAC University student Mostafa Shahriar Nihal. Just 22 years old, Nihal had returned home for Eid—perhaps to unwind, perhaps to reconnect with his roots—when a swim turned fatal. The village air that had once nurtured him now carries only sorrow. In Gowainghat upazila of Sylhet, another young life was taken too soon. Fifteen-year-old Mahi, a resident of Chattogram’s Bayezid area, was swept away by the Piyain River while visiting Jaflong, one of the country’s beloved tourist spots. A holiday of wonder ended in tragedy, leaving his family adrift in anguish. Innocence Lost in Kishoreganj: A Pit Becomes a Tomb The village of Pitua in Kishoreganj’s Karimganj upazila bears the weight of another sorrowful tale. Two young cousins—Yasmin Akhter, 8, and Taiyeba Akhter, 9—ventured to a nearby pit, filled with rainwater. Laughter and playful splashes soon gave way to an eerie silence. Teenaged tourist drowns in Piyain River in Sylhet Both girls drowned before help could arrive, leaving behind heartbroken families and a community numb with shock. A Nation’s Children at Peril: A Crisis Too Long Ignored Bangladesh, with its many rivers and water bodies, is no stranger to the dangers of open water. Yet the scale of this preventable tragedy is staggering. According to Unicef, drowning stands as one of the leading causes of death among children under five in the country. Some 14,000 young lives are lost each year—many during the monsoon, when the landscape becomes a dangerous playground. Every day, an average of 40 children drown—lives with potential, laughter, and love—all extinguished in moments that could have been averted. The World Health Organization echoes this grim reality, ranking drowning as one of the top causes of death among children and young people in South-East Asia. A Cry for Change: Time to Act The call for action rings louder with every lost life. Experts stress the urgent need for community awareness, vigilant supervision, and widespread swimming education. Simple, low-cost solutions—such as local swimming lessons, safe play zones, and crèche-style supervision—have the power to save thousands. Unless we act now, the tide will continue to steal our children—one moment of inattention, one step too close to the edge, one more life gone. Two children drown in Narail "Let these stories not fade into mere statistics. Let the grief etched into these families’ hearts become the driving force behind a nationwide commitment—to protect, to prevent, and to preserve the most precious gift of all: life," said Syed Farhad, a businessman of Chattogram. #With inputs from Farzana Haque  

Two children drowned while another went missing in a pond in the Chawkbazar area of the port city on Wednesday night, police said. The identities of the deceased could not be known immediately. Ferdous Hasan, officer-in-charge of Chawkbazar Police Station, said the three children had gone to take a bath in the pond belonging to a person, Omar Ali Matobbar, in East Sholoshohor and went missing. Read: 2 children drown in Naogaon pond On information, drivers from the local fire service rushed to the spot and fished out the bodies of two children, aged about seven and five, respectively. "Divers are searching for the missing child," the OC said.

Two children drowned at Subidpur and Toragor villages in Hajiganj upazila on Sunday.In Subidpur, a seven-year-old girl drowned in a pond while plucking water lily at Sibidpur Uttar Para in the upazila.The deceased was identified as Sumaiya Akter, daughter of Rumon of the area. Also read: Two siblings drown in PanchagarhSumaiya along with some of her friends went to the pond to collect water lilly around 4pm. At one stage, Sumaiya went missing.On information, a diver team from Chandpur Fire Service went to the spot and recovered the body, said Abu Mohammad Sajedul Kabir Joardar, an officer of Hajiganj Fire Station.The body was sent to Chandpur District Hospital morgue for an autopsy, Jubayer Sayed, officer-in-charge (OC) of Chandpur Police Station, said. Also read: Over 14,000 children die in Bangladesh due to drowning every yearIn another incident, a twenty-month toddler, Mohammad Hossain, son of Md Sharif Hossain in Toragor area of the upazila, slipped into a pond around 3pm while playing.Locals spotted his floating body in the afternoon.He was rushed to Hajiganj Upazila Health Complex where doctors declared him dead, said Golam Maola, health and family planning officer of the Health Complex.

Two children drowned in separate incidents in Brahmanpara upazila of Cumilla on Saturday.The deceased were identified as Hossain, 1, son of Md Farhad of Shidlai village and Tanim, 4, son of Md Zakir of Nagaish village.According to hospital sources, Hossain was playing in the courtyard at noon and suddenly slipped into the pond adjacent to the house. Read: Fire breaks out at moving ferry, doused quicklyWhen his family members did not see him in the courtyard after some time they started searching for the child and later his body was found in the pond.Later, he was rushed to Brahmanpara Upazila health complex where doctors declared him dead on arrival.Meanwhile, Tanim drowned in a pond at Nagaish village on Saturday.

A pall of gloom has descended on Dakkhin Bilnalia Natun Hatkhola village in Faridpur, following the deaths of two children due to drowning on Tuesday. The deceased were identified as Sajid (4), son of Ayub Mridha, and Tariqul (5), son of Majibor Munshi of the village in Nagarkanda upazila. Kamal Hossain, the newly elected chairman of Talma Union, said the two children had gone missing since Tuesday noon. "They were last spotted playing near a pond close to their house in the village," he said. READ: Four children drown on Eid day Local people spotted the bodies of the two children floating in the pond later in the day and fished them out. The boys were taken to a local hospital where doctors declared them dead on arrival. READ: 2 children drown in Gaibandha pond

Two children drowned in a pond in Bagerhat’s Sharankhola upazila on Friday afternoon The incident occurred in Bara Rajapur Savarer Par village of the upazila while they were playing. The deceased were identified as Mahim, 8, son of Enamul Hawladar of Argi village under Mathbaria upazila of Pirojpur district and Sohan, 8, son of Idris Ali of Paschim Baliapara village under Indurkani upazila of the same district. Also read: 3 female students drowns in Turag, another missing According to family members, the deceased were cousins who with their mothers had gone to visit their grandparents' house. It was learned they went to play by the side of a nearby pond. But their family members couldn’t find them. Later, locals found the floating bodies of the children. Sumi Akhter, a doctor at the emergency department at Sharankhola Upazila Health Complex, said that the children had died before reaching the hospital. Also read: BRAC university student drowns in Cox’s Bazar Sharankhola police officer in charge (OC) Saidur Rahman said the bodies of the two children have been recovered and sent to Bagerhat Sadar Hospital morgue for autopsy. A UD case has been filed in this regard, he said

Two children drowned in a pond in Gobindaganj upazila of Gaibandha on Saturday. The deceased were identified as Robiul,6 son of Yasin Ali and Shofiul, 5, son of Ayub Ali. According to relatives, the kids were playing near a pond adjacent to their home in Dumurgacha village. When they  did not return home after a long period, the family members went to the pond and found their bodies floating on it. Also read: College student drowns after jumping into river in Natore; body goes missing Although locals recovered the unconscious body and took it to a nearby medical facility, the on duty doctors declared them dead. The kids were presumably dead even before they were rushed to the hospital, witnesses told UNB. Drowning in Bangladesh Drowning is the leading cause of death for children under five in Bangladesh. According to Bangladesh Health and Injury Survery(BHIS), in Bangladesh nearly 17,000 children drown annually, an average of around 46 each day. Also read: 4 children drown in Kishoreganj and Pabna 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.

The deceased were Md Abdullah, son of Md Selim Uddin and his cousin Tasim Uddin, son of Kamal Hossain. They are age between one and two years. Officer-in-Charge of Raipur Police Station Md Abdul Jalil said the duo went

Two minor girls drowned in a pond at Uttar Sikderpara village in Maheshkhali upazila on Wednesday afternoon.