Bodies of child, teenager swept away in Sherpur flash floods recovered

They both went missing while trying to collect logs swept downstream by the mountain runoff

Authorities have recovered the bodies of a child and a teenager who went missing during flash floods triggered by mountain runoff in Sherpur.

The victims were identified as 17-year-old Ismail Hossain, son of puffed rice vendor Abdullah Mia from Jhenaigati's Tamagaon, and 10-year-old Humayun Kabir, son of Nalitabari resident Dulal Mia, who was a second-grader at Burunga Government Primary School.

Heavy rainfall and flash floods caused the embankment of the Maharshi River in Jhenaigati Upazila to collapse on Thursday, while water levels in the Chellakhali River in Nalitabari Upazila rose, flooding low-lying areas.

The two minors were swept downstream by the surge while trying to collect logs, according to police.

Their bodies were later recovered from the Maharshi River in Jhenaigati and the Chellakhali River in Nalitabari.

Jhenaigati Police Station chief Al-Amin said Ismail went missing around 3pm on Thursday during the flood in the Maharshi River at Tamagaon. His body was recovered 11 hours later around 1am on Friday by local residents.

Humayun also went missing while attempting to gather logs swept along by the flood in the Chellakhali River at Burunga in Nalitabari. Nalitabari Police Chief station Sohel Rana said his body was found about six hours later at 8:30pm.

Local residents said that water levels in both the Maharshi and Someshwari rivers began rising from Thursday afternoon. At one stage, the Maharshi River burst its banks, flooding surrounding villages and the Jhenaigati Upazila market.

Rising water in the Chellakhali River also inundated the Gollarbil area of Nalitabari Upazila.

Jhenaigati Upazila administrator (UNO) Md Ashraful Alam Russell said conditions improved after rain stopped on Thursday night and river levels began to fall.

He added that relief supplies had been distributed among five affected families.