Newlywed Couple Drown in Canal While Attempting Rescue

A newly married couple died after drowning in a canal in Naogaon’s Badalgachhi upazila on Sunday afternoon, in a tragic incident that unfolded when the wife reportedly entered the water to rescue her husband.

The deceased were identified as Nur Islam, 22, son of Abul Kashem of Bedbaria village in Gangni upazila of Meherpur, and his wife, Sumaiya Akter, 18, daughter of Shahin Islam of Kartikahar village in Naogaon’s Badalgachhi upazila. The couple had married around six months ago.

According to local residents and eyewitnesses, Nur Islam had travelled to his in-laws’ home in Kartikahar village with his wife on Saturday afternoon to visit her family. The following day, at around 1pm, he went to bathe in a canal flowing beside the village. Sumaiya was reportedly standing on the bank at the time.

At one point, Nur suddenly became submerged in the canal water and disappeared from view. Seeing her husband in danger, Sumaiya reportedly entered the canal in an attempt to rescue him. She too subsequently went missing in the water.

After local residents became aware of the incident, they began searching the canal. About half an hour after the couple disappeared, rescuers recovered both of them from the water. They were immediately taken to Badalgachhi Upazila Health Complex for medical attention.

However, doctors at the health facility declared both of them dead after conducting examinations. Their deaths have left both families mourning the loss of a young couple whose marriage had taken place only six months earlier.

Kazi Tahrima Akter, health officer at Badalgachhi Upazila Health Complex, said local people had brought the couple to the hospital in an unresponsive condition. Medical examinations confirmed that both had died before they were brought to the facility.

Badalgachhi police station officer-in-charge Mohammad Ruhul Amin said no complaint had been lodged in connection with the deaths. As there was no apparent objection from the families, the bodies were handed over to the relatives.

The incident has once again highlighted the risks associated with bathing in unfamiliar stretches of open water, particularly canals and other waterways where the depth and underwater conditions may change unexpectedly. Rescue attempts by untrained individuals can also become dangerous, as happened in this case, with the effort to save one family member reportedly resulting in the loss of another.

The deaths of the newlyweds have cast a pall of grief over Kartikahar village and their respective family communities in Naogaon and Meherpur.