A tragic incident unfolded on Wednesday afternoon in western Bangladesh when a seven-year-old girl went missing after a section of the Padma River bank collapsed into the water. The victim, identified as Nuriya Khatun, was playing near the water’s edge when the erosion took place. Another young girl, eight-year-old Jamila Khatun, was also swept into the river during the collapse but managed to pull herself to safety.

The incident occurred at around 5:00 pm in the Bhurkapara area, located within the Moricha Union of Bheramara Upazila in Kushtia district. Nuriya is the daughter of Ashik Sheikh, a resident of the neighbouring Juniadaha village.

According to local residents and eye-witnesses, embankment protection work was underway along the riverbank in Bhurkapara, near the Daulatpur border, where contractors had been laying sand-filled geo-bags to curb ongoing erosion. The two young girls were sitting and playing atop these geo-bags when the ground suddenly gave way beneath them. Both children tumbled into the river along with the heavy sacks.

While Jamila fought against the current and managed to scramble back onto dry land, Nuriya was quickly swept away by the river’s powerful flow. Distressed and in tears, Jamila raised the alarm among nearby villagers. Local residents immediately rushed to the riverbank and initiated a search operation along the perimeter, but no trace of the child was found as darkness fell.

Multi-agency response teams were dispatched to the site to coordinate a larger rescue operation. Officers from the Daulatpur Police Station, alongside crews from the Bheramara Fire Service and the Ishwardi River Police, launched joint search efforts across the water.

Officer-in-Charge of Daulatpur Police Station, Khaledur Rahman, confirmed the sequence of events and noted that emergency services are pooling resources to locate the missing child. However, the operation faces severe logistical challenges due to the swift river currents, which complicate diving and surface tracking efforts.

Shariful Islam, in-charge of the Bheramara Fire Service Station, stated that emergency personnel are actively working at the scene despite the treacherous conditions. Rescue officials expressed concern that the strong undertow may have carried the child downstream, significantly expanding the search area. Search and rescue operations remain active as teams continue to monitor the river course.