Four go missing while bathing in Shitalakshya River, bodies of three recovered

PNN News Desk | Narsingdi

Three of the four people who went missing after entering the Shitalakshya River for a bath while visiting their in-laws’ home in Shibpur, Narsingdi, have been found dead. A 17-year-old boy remains missing.

The bodies of the three victims were recovered from the Shitalakshya River in the Charlakhpur area of the upazila at around 10:30am on Saturday (September 12) by a Fire Service diving team.

The deceased were identified as Obaidullah, 35, son-in-law of Mujibur Sheikh of Charlakhpur; his sister-in-law Shanta, 22; and local teenager Sourav, 15. Mujibur Sheikh’s grandson Shanto, 17, remains missing.

According to the Fire Service and local residents, Obaidullah had come to visit his father-in-law Mujibur Sheikh’s home in Charlakhpur with his wife Shahinur and their child. At the same time, Mujibur Sheikh’s other two daughters, Shahida and Shanta, had also arrived there with their children.

At around 3pm on Friday, Shanta went into the Shitalakshya River beside the house to bathe. At one point, she was swept underwater. Her brother-in-law Obaidullah and Shanto entered the river in an attempt to rescue her, but they too went missing in the current.

Later, several local residents entered the river to search for those who had gone missing. During the search, Sourav also drowned and went missing. After receiving the information, members of the Shibpur Fire Service and police arrived at the scene at around 6pm and began a rescue operation. However, as darkness fell, it was not possible to recover anyone that night.

On Saturday morning, a diving team from Dhaka arrived at the scene and resumed the rescue operation. Sourav’s body was recovered first. The bodies of Obaidullah and Shanta were subsequently retrieved from the river.

Nasir Uddin Howladar, a local Union Parishad member, said several relatives, including Mujibur Sheikh’s son-in-law, had come to visit his home. After going into the river to bathe on Friday afternoon, Shanta went missing first. Several others then drowned while attempting to rescue her. The bodies of three people were recovered in the morning.

Islam Khan, team leader of the Shibpur Fire Service, said Fire Service personnel had conducted an extensive search after four people went missing in the river on Friday. However, the operation had to be suspended because of darkness. The diving team from Dhaka resumed the operation on Saturday morning, and three bodies were recovered. The search for the remaining missing person is continuing.