Two missing students found dead in Padma River as search continues for fisherman in Chapainawabganj
Fire service divers recovered the bodies of two high school students from the Padma River in Chapainawabganj on Tuesday evening, hours after they went missing while bathing. Meanwhile, rescue teams continue to search for a third individual who disappeared in the nearby Mahananda River.
The victims have been identified as 16-year-old Rifat and 17-year-old Russell, both tenth-grade students at Subag High School. According to local reports, the pair had gone to the river at the Alimnagar Ghat in Charbagdanga Union around 1:00 p.m. following the conclusion of their school day. Witnesses stated that the students submerged while swimming and failed to resurface.
Local efforts to locate the teenagers proved unsuccessful, prompting a call to emergency services. A specialized diving team from Rajshahi joined the Chapainawabganj Fire Service for a rescue operation that began at 4:00 p.m. After approximately two hours of searching, the divers recovered the bodies at 6:15 p.m., according to Saied Hasan, a station officer with the Chapainawabganj Fire Service.
Concurrent with the Padma River tragedy, another drowning incident occurred at the rubber dam area of the Mahananda River. Sakirul Islam, a 30-year-old resident of the Arambag-Azajipur area, went missing while fishing.
Chapainawabganj Sadar Police Station Officer-in-Charge Ekramul Hossain confirmed that a joint operation involving police, fire service personnel, and local volunteers is ongoing to locate Islam. Authorities have yet to provide updates on his status.
