Three Children Drown in Bogura Pond After Football Game

Three children, including two siblings, drowned in a pond in Kahaloo upazila of Bogura on Tuesday after reportedly going there to wash a football following a game, leaving the local community in deep mourning.

The tragic incident took place around midday at Bhalta Guchchhagram in Murail Union. The deceased were identified as six-year-old Zakirul, son of Asadul Islam, and eight-year-old Faim and five-year-old Suraiya, the children of Faruk Mondal. Faim and Suraiya were siblings.

According to local residents, the three children had been playing football with other children in the area on Tuesday morning. After the game ended, they went to a nearby pond beside the guchchhagram to clean the football. At some point, the children entered the water. They did not return home afterwards.

The incident came to light at around 1pm when a woman reportedly noticed the body of a child floating in the pond. She raised the alarm, prompting nearby residents to rush to the spot and recover the child from the water.

The child was taken to Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College Hospital in Bogura, where doctors on duty declared him dead. He was later identified as Zakirul.

The discovery of Zakirul’s body raised immediate concern about Faim and Suraiya, who had also failed to return home. As the families and local residents searched for the two children, a local man, identified as Mintu Pramanik, was asked to enter the pond and look for them.

Pramanik subsequently recovered Faim’s body from the water. Suraiya, however, remained missing. After local residents were unable to locate her, the Fire Service and Civil Defence were informed. Fire service personnel later arrived at the scene and launched a search operation in the pond, eventually recovering the girl’s body.

The deaths of the three children have cast a pall of grief over Bhalta Guchchhagram and neighbouring areas. The tragedy has been particularly devastating for the family of Faim and Suraiya, who lost two children in the same incident. Relatives were reportedly overcome with grief, while residents gathered at the scene in shock.

The incident has also renewed concerns over children’s safety around ponds and other bodies of water, particularly during the monsoon season. Across Bangladesh, ponds, canals, ditches and low-lying water bodies often become more hazardous as water levels rise during the rainy months. Children can face serious risks when playing near such areas without adult supervision.

Child safety advocates and emergency responders have repeatedly stressed the need for close supervision of children around water. Families are also encouraged to prevent young children from going alone to ponds, canals or other open water bodies, especially when they are unable to swim. Ensuring safer surroundings around homes and communities can also help reduce the risk of drowning.

Kahaloo Police Station Officer-in-Charge Shafiqul Islam said police went to the scene after receiving information about the incident. Officers prepared the inquest reports of the deceased children, and the necessary legal procedures are under way.