Woman missing after falling into manhole in Tongi, rescue efforts ongoing

A woman has gone missing after falling into an open manhole in Gazipur’s Tongi.

Members of the Fire Service are continuing their efforts to locate her.

The incident occurred around 9pm on Sunday near Hossain Market along the Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway, said Iskandar Habibur Rahman, chief of Tongi West Police Station.

“Members of the Tongi Fire Service have been trying to rescue the missing woman since last night,” the officer said.

“The rescue operation is continuing on Monday as well.”

The woman’s name and identity have not yet been confirmed.

Nurul Islam, a resident of the Hossain Market area, said the woman fell into an uncovered manhole while walking past Dhaka Imperial Hospital during incessant rain.

“She was instantly submerged in the current,” he said.

“People around her tried to rescue her but failed.”

Fire Service personnel arrived at the scene shortly after the incident, but were unable to find the woman as of midnight, Islam added.

Md Shahin Alam, a senior officer with the Tongi unit of the Fire Service, said the manhole is about 10ft deep and had filled with water from the day’s continuous rain, creating a strong current.

Twenty personnel from the Tongi Fire Station are involved in the rescue operation, he said.