Four school students drown in Meherpur lake

Upazila administrator says the incident occurred around 5:15pm

Four school students have died while picking water lilies from a lake in Meherpur Sadar.

Sadar Upazila administrator (UNO) Khairul Islam said, “The incident occurred around 5:30pm on Sunday at Mosurbhaja Beel.”

The dead are Fatema Khatun, 14, Afia Khatun, 10, Meem, 14, and Aleya Khatun, 10 -- all residents of Rajnagar village of the Upazila.

Among them, Fatema was an eighth-grader at Mominpur Secondary School, her sister Afia was a fourth-grade student at Rajnagar Government Primary School, Meem was also an eighth-grader at Amjhupi Secondary School, while Aleya studied in Class 3 at Amjhupi Ideal School.

A local, Safinaz Ara said: “I knew all of them. They were cousins. They went to collect flowers in the Beel in the afternoon, as they often did. Later, I heard four of them drowned in the water.”

Another local named Mokhles Khandaker said the Fire Service and police arrived at the scene after being informed of the incident. They recovered the bodies with the help of locals.

Fire Service rescue worker Shahjahan Ali said, “There is not much water in the Beel. However, there is a big hole in the middle of it. The children drowned there.”

The incident has cast a shadow of grief over Rajnagar village.

Meherpur Sadar Police chief Sheikh Mejbah Uddin Ahmed said the children’s bodies have been handed over to the families.

“Police have been deployed to maintain the situation in the village. A case of accidental death will be filed in the incident,” he added.