Four people, including a son-in-law, a daughter and a grandson, went missing after drowning in the Shitalakshya River in Narsingdi’s Shibpur upazila on Friday afternoon.
The incident occurred around 3pm in the Charlakhpur area, where the family had gathered at the home of Mujibur Sheikh for a visit. A Fire Service team from Shibpur later launched a search operation, but none of the missing people could be rescued before nightfall.
The missing people have been identified as Obaidullah, 35, the elder son-in-law of Mujibur Sheikh; his younger daughter Shanta, 22; Shanta’s nephew Shanto, 17; and Sourav, 15, a local resident who entered the river while attempting to help with the rescue effort.
According to the Shibpur Fire Service and local residents, Obaidullah had travelled to his in-laws’ home in Charlakhpur with his wife Shahinur and their children. Mujibur Sheikh’s other two daughters, Shahida and Shanta, had also arrived with their children.
The family’s gathering took a tragic turn when Shanta went to bathe in the Shitalakshya River beside the house at around 3pm. At one point, she slipped or became unable to remain afloat and disappeared beneath the water.
Seeing her in distress, Obaidullah and Shanto entered the river in an attempt to rescue her. They too were subsequently swept under the water and could not be located.
As news of the incident spread, several local residents joined the search. Among them was 15-year-old Sourav, who entered the river while trying to locate the missing people. He also disappeared beneath the water.
The incident prompted a major search effort involving local residents, the Fire Service and police. The Shibpur Fire Service team and officers from Shibpur Police Station reached the area at around 6pm and began searching the river.
Fire Service personnel searched the water while local people also tried to locate the four missing individuals. However, as darkness fell, the operation became increasingly difficult and no one could be recovered during the evening.
Nasir Uddin Howlader, a local union parishad member, said several relatives, including Mujibur Sheikh’s daughters and son-in-law, had come to the house to visit. Shanta went to the river to bathe and subsequently disappeared. Obaidullah, Shanto and later Sourav also went missing while attempts were being made to rescue those in the water.
The incident has cast a pall of grief over Charlakhpur, with relatives and residents anxiously waiting for news of the missing people. The fact that one rescue attempt led to further people entering the water has also highlighted the dangers of attempting a river rescue without proper equipment or trained personnel.
Islam Khan, officer-in-charge of Shibpur Fire Service, said the team conducted an extensive search after arriving at the scene but was unable to find any of the four missing people.
He said a diving team from Dhaka was expected to arrive on Saturday morning, after which the search operation would resume.
The authorities have yet to recover the missing people, and the circumstances surrounding the incident remain under investigation as the rescue operation continues.
