Three children met a tragic death after drowning in ponds in two separate incidents in the West Dhemsha Union of the upazila between 12:00 PM and 2:00 PM on Monday (September 14).
The three deceased children are Md. Azahari (9), son of auto-rickshaw driver Md. Jamal Uddin of Mannan Sawdagar Bari in Bepari Para, Ward No. 7 of Keochia Union; Umme Manha (7), daughter of Jiyabul Haq of Aiyub Maulvi Bari in Ichhamati Alinagar, Ward No. 1 of West Dhemsha Union; and Mosammat Alifa Akhtar (2), daughter of auto-rickshaw driver Md. Faruk of Ward No. 6 in the same union. Among the deceased, Azahari was a student at a local Hefzkhana, and Umme Manha was a first-grade student.
Describing the incident, deceased Manha’s cousin Rifa Akhtar said that Azahari had come to visit the Ichhamati Alinagar area last Sunday to attend his aunt’s wedding. Around 2:00 PM on Monday, Azahari and Manha were playing in the courtyard of the house with other children who had come to the wedding. At one point during play, unnoticed by anyone, both of them went down into the pond in front of the courtyard and drowned in the water.
Later, Azahari’s maternal grandfather, Md. Ishak, went to bathe in that pond and saw Manha floating in the water. After rescuing her, she was quickly taken to a private hospital in Keranihat of the upazila, where the attending doctor declared her dead. About half an hour later, following an extensive search, Azahari was also recovered from the bottom of the same pond. When he was taken to another private hospital in Keranihat, the doctors there also declared him dead.
On the other hand, regarding the accident involving two-year-old child Alifa, her uncle Md. Tarek Hossain Sawdagar said that around 12:00 PM on Monday, Alifa was playing in the front courtyard of the house with a glass of water in her hand. While playing, the glass fell into the pond from her hand, and while trying to retrieve it, Alifa fell into the water and drowned to death.
Md. Sarwar Kamal, Acting Chairman of West Dhemsha Union Parishad, confirmed the news of the tragic death of the 3 children by drowning in ponds at separate locations within a two-hour interval.
