Five Cousin Sisters Drown in Padma Branch River in Chapainawabganj

Five girls, who were related as cousins, drowned while bathing in a branch of the Padma River in Chapainawabganj Sadar upazila on Friday afternoon.

The incident occurred around 12:45pm at a river ghat in Char Chakla village of Ward 3 under Debinagar Union.

Officer-in-Charge of Chapainawabganj Sadar Police Station Ekramul Hossain confirmed the deaths and said all five victims were girls.

The deceased were identified as Sumaiya, 11, and Suraiya, 10, daughters of Nezamuddin; Ariba, 8, and Sumaiya, 10, daughters of Masud Ali; and Sharifa, 8, daughter of Shariful Islam. All of them were residents of Char Chakla village.

They were related as maternal, paternal and first cousins, according to local residents.

Locals said most villagers were at a mosque for Friday prayers when the children went to the river to bathe without informing their families. No one noticed that they had entered the water until they drowned.

After some locals spotted the incident and raised an alarm, villagers rushed to the spot and recovered the five children from the river. They were found dead.

The deaths have cast a pall of grief over Char Chakla village, with relatives mourning the loss of the five children.

Jibon Chandra Roy, in-charge of the river police outpost, confirmed that the bodies had been recovered and said further legal procedures were underway.