Child Drowns in Canal Current

An eight-year-old girl died after being swept away by a strong current while bathing in a canal in Debidwar Upazila of Cumilla. Fire Service personnel recovered her body following an extensive rescue operation that lasted approximately three hours.

The incident occurred at around 12:00 noon on Monday (1 June) in the Lokkhar Canal, a branch of the Titas River, near the Sonchail Bus Stand Bridge in No. 1 Barashalghar Union of the upazila.

The deceased was identified as Faria Akter, 8, daughter of Md Shahadat Hossain, an employee of Prabhati Fisheries and a resident of Sonchail village.

According to local sources, Faria had entered the canal to bathe along with her elder sister Samira, 11, and several other children from the area. During the bathing session, Faria was caught by the canal’s strong current and began drifting away. Her sister attempted to hold on to her and prevent her from being swept away.

Hearing the girls’ cries for help, a neighbouring woman rushed to assist and managed to pull Samira from the water. However, Faria slipped from her sister’s grasp and disappeared beneath the surface.

Local resident Sofiullah said that all of the children who entered the canal knew how to swim. Nevertheless, the force of the current was so strong that Faria could not be rescued.

Residents immediately began searching for the child but were unable to locate her. After prolonged efforts proved unsuccessful, they informed the Muradnagar Fire Service. A rescue team subsequently arrived at the scene and launched a search operation.

Abdul Awal Sarkar, Chairman of No. 1 Barashalghar Union Parishad, said local residents had made every effort to save the child but were unsuccessful. He stated that Fire Service personnel later recovered Faria’s body at approximately 3:00 pm following around two hours of rescue work.

Muradnagar Fire Service officer Md Amzad Hossain said the canal was experiencing a particularly strong flow of water at the time of the incident. He added that a substantial quantity of water hyacinth, which had been retained in that section of the canal by local farmers, complicated the rescue operation. After an extensive search, rescuers recovered the child’s body from beneath the accumulated water hyacinth.

Officer-in-Charge Md Moniruzzaman of Debidwar Police Station said the two sisters had been caught in the current while bathing with family members. While local residents were able to rescue one of them, the other was later recovered by Fire Service personnel and taken to Debidwar Upazila Health Complex, where the attending physician declared her dead.

He further stated that no written complaint had been submitted to the police regarding the incident. However, officers had been dispatched to the scene to verify the circumstances. Appropriate legal action would be taken if any complaint is filed following an investigation.

Incident Summary