A teenage boy has died after being buried under earth while cutting a crop protection embankment in Sunamganj’s Madhyanagar upazila in Bangladesh. The deceased has been identified as Arman Mia (18), only son of Chanfir Mia from Shaliyan village. The incident occurred on Sunday (12 April) at around midday in the Shoulduwari embankment area under the No. 8 sub-project of the Gurmara Haor.
According to eyewitnesses and local sources, several days of heavy rainfall led to widespread waterlogging across different haor areas in Sunamganj. As a result, water accumulated in large tracts of farmland in Rupeshwar Haor under Madhyanagar upazila, creating pressure on standing crops and drainage systems.
In response to the water stagnation, local farmers reportedly cut the Shoulduwari crop protection embankment in the Gurmara Haor area on Friday night. The purpose was to allow trapped water to drain from the flooded agricultural land. However, after the embankment was cut, a section of its bank collapsed, which disrupted the flow of water.
On Sunday morning, several farmers from Shaliyan village returned to the site to remove the collapsed soil and restore the drainage path. They began clearing earth from the damaged section of the embankment in order to normalise water flow.
While the work was nearing completion around midday, another sudden collapse occurred at the embankment site. Most of those present managed to move to safety immediately, but Arman Mia was trapped under a mass of falling soil.
Local residents and workers then launched a rescue effort, which continued for approximately one hour before they were able to recover him from beneath the earth. He was then taken to Dhamoirhat Upazila Health Complex, where the attending doctors declared him dead after examination.
The circumstances of the incident, the identity of the deceased, and the official position of the administration are summarised in the table below:
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Name of deceased | Arman Mia (18) |
| Father’s name | Chanfir Mia |
| Village | Shaliyan |
| Upazila | Madhyanagar |
| District | Sunamganj |
| Location of incident | Shoulduwari embankment, No. 8 sub-project, Gurmara Haor |
| Time of incident | Sunday (12 April), around midday |
| Activity at time of accident | Removal of collapsed embankment soil |
| Cause of death | Buried under collapsed earth |
| Rescue duration | Approximately one hour |
| Medical facility | Dhamoirhat Upazila Health Complex |
| Administrative statement | No official permission was granted for embankment cutting |
Assistant Commissioner (Land) Sanjoy Ghosh, who is also holding additional charge as the Upazila Nirbahi Officer of Madhyanagar, stated that they had been informed of the death caused by the embankment collapse. He further confirmed that no administrative permission had been granted for cutting the embankment.
The incident highlights the sequence of actions taken by local farmers in response to waterlogging and the subsequent collapse that led to the fatal accident.