Four people, including two brothers and sisters, drowned in a pond at separate places in Senbagh and Chatkhil upazilas of Noakhali.
The bodies of the victims were recovered from separate ponds from morning till evening on Friday. The deceased have been identified as Alif (2) and Mahir Akhter (2), son of Mostafa in Binnaguni village of Senbagh and Mohin Uddin's daughter Maisha Akhter (10) and son of late Nurul Islam Pateyari of 9th ward of Mohammadpur union of Chatkhil upazila Md Swapan (50).
According to local sources, on Friday afternoon, two twin boys and girls of Senbagh Municipality went to play by the pond. At some point in the afternoon, without the knowledge of the family members, the two of them fell into the pond and drowned. After not seeing them for a long time, the family members searched in different places. At one stage, they were seen floating in the water of the pond and were rushed to the Senbagh Upazila Health Complex where the on-duty doctor declared the two children dead.
Meanwhile, on Friday afternoon, a student of Jirua Government Primary School, daughter of Mohin Uddin, a Kuwaiti expatriate from Jirua Patwari Bari in Damurua Union of Senbagh, fell into a pond next to the house while playing with the children of Maisha Bari. At the screams of other children, the family members came forward and searched the water of the pond. In the evening, they rescued her unconscious and took her to Senbagh Upazila Health Complex. The on-duty doctor declared Maisha dead.
Senbagh Police Officer-in-Charge (OC) Iqbal Hossain Patwari confirmed the death of three children who drowned.
On the other hand, a man named Swapan went to bathe in a pond in Janata Bazar area of Mohammadpur union of Chatkhil upazila around 10 am on Friday. He drowned shortly after entering the water. He was later pronounced dead at the scene by a local doctor.
Chatkhil Police Officer-in-Charge (OC) Gias Uddin confirmed the matter and said that initially the cause of his death was not known. The body was recovered and sent to the morgue of Noakhali General Hospital for autopsy.