Festive euphoria turns into despair, 14 lives lost to drowning over Eid outings

UNB :
What should have been a time of warmth, laughter and familial bliss has instead left behind the silence of mourning, as the Eid holidays witnessed the tragic loss of at least 14 lives, including children, in a heartbreaking series of drownings across the country.
From tranquil village ponds to the lively tourist shores of Cox’s Bazar and the scenic waters of Sylhet, the ripples of joy turned into waves of grief, underscoring a harrowing national truth—drowning remains a silent predator, claiming lives that might have been saved.
Tears in Noakhali and Moulvibazar: Families Shattered
In the quiet corner of Subarnachar upazila in Noakhali, an ordinary afternoon turned devastating when two cousins—Faria Akter, just three years old, and her five-year-old playmate Mohammad Tahasin—slipped away into eternity.
Visiting their grandfather’s home in the Char Jubilee area, the children, gleeful in the spirit of Eid, wandered near a pond.
Their laughter was the last sound heard before the water claimed them.
Miles away, in the peaceful village of Hamidpur in Moulvibazar’s Juri upazila, a father’s love met a tragic end.
Babul Ahmed Babu, 60, a brick kiln owner, had taken it upon himself to teach his daughter Halima Mohammad, 18, how to swim.
What began as a tender lesson ended in heartbreak. Halima lost her footing and disappeared beneath the water’s surface, and in a desperate attempt to save her, her father followed.
Both lives were extinguished within moments, their final embrace submerged in sorrow.
A Grim Toll at the Sea’s Edge: Cox’s Bazar Mourns
The salty breeze of Cox’s Bazar could not sweep away the anguish that settled over the beach town, where a series of drownings unfolded within a mere 16 hours.
Among the victims were Shahinur Rahman, 60, and his 20-year-old son Sifat from Rajshahi.
The two were swimming near Kolatoli beach, likely sharing a rare and joyous moment of bonding, when the sea turned hostile and swallowed them whole.
Elsewhere, the lifeless body of local fisherman Nurul Saudagar was pulled from the Nazirar Tek area, having vanished while engaged in the livelihood that once sustained him.
Three more bodies were found across Pechar Dwip, Bokkhali estuary, and Diabetes Point—each discovery a cruel punctuation mark in a string of grief, raising the death toll in the area to six.
Promise Unfulfilled: Youth Lost in Rivers and Ravines
In Tangail’s Bhuapur upazila, the waters of the Bairan River silenced the dreams of BRAC University student Mostafa Shahriar Nihal. Just 22 years old, Nihal had returned home for Eid—perhaps to unwind, perhaps to reconnect with his roots—when a swim turned fatal.
The village air that had once nurtured him now carries only sorrow.
In Gowainghat upazila of Sylhet, another young life was taken too soon.
Fifteen-year-old Mahi, a resident of Chattogram’s Bayezid area, was swept away by the Piyain River while visiting Jaflong, one of the country’s beloved tourist spots.
A holiday of wonder ended in tragedy, leaving his family adrift in anguish.
Innocence Lost in Kishoreganj: A Pit Becomes a Tomb
The village of Pitua in Kishoreganj’s Karimganj upazila bears the weight of another sorrowful tale.
Two young cousins—Yasmin Akhter, 8, and Taiyeba Akhter, 9—ventured to a nearby pit, filled with rainwater.
Laughter and playful splashes soon gave way to an eerie silence.