Two drown in Dimla Teesta canal

An aunt and her four-year-old niece drowned in the main irrigation canal of the Teesta River in Dimla upazila of Nilphamari on Monday.

The incident occurred around 12:30pm at the Switchgate area of Kankra Tuhin Bazar under Nautara Union of the upazila.

The deceased were Mosammat Pakhi Akter, 12, daughter of Abul Hossain of the Kankra Tuhin Bazar Switchgate area, and Mosammat Sinha, 4, daughter of Selimur Rahman of the Nautara Nijpara (Jhakuatari) area. They were aunt and niece.

Dimla Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Shawkat Ali Sarker said police were sent to the scene.
“The bodies will be handed over to the families after completing the legal procedures,” he said.

According to local residents and eyewitnesses, several children were playing beside the main irrigation canal when Sinha accidentally fell into the water. Her aunt, Pakhi Akter, entered the canal to rescue her but also drowned.

Hearing the children’s cries, people from nearby rushed to the spot. Local residents later recovered both victims from the canal, but they had already died.

Nautara Union Parishad Chairman Ashik Imtiaz Morshed Moni said a drowning incident had occurred at the same place several years ago.

“The place is dangerous. Necessary safety measures should be taken immediately to prevent further accidents,” he said.