Two school students drowned in Padma River, while a man remains missing in Mahananda River in separate incidents in Chapainawabganj on Tuesday.
The deceased were identified as Rifat ,16, son of Jem Ali of Rouf Hajipara village in Sundarpur union, and Rasel ,17, son of Alam Hossain of Chorterorosia area in Islampur union. Both were Class X students at Sobhan High School.
Ekramul Hossain, officer-in-charge of Sadar Model Police Station confirmed the recovery.
According to locals, the two went to bathe in Padma River at Alimnagar Ghat in Char Bagdanga union with several friends after school on Tuesday. At one point, they were swept away by water. Locals began rescue efforts before informing the Fire Service and Civil Defence.
Saif Hasan Shuvo, station officer of Chapainawabganj Fire Service, said a diving team from Rajshahi launched a rescue operation at 4pm and recovered the bodies at around 6:30pm.
In a separate incident at around 2:30pm, Md Sakirul Islam ,30, went missing while fishing in Mahananda River near Rubber Dam area.
OC Ekramul said the rescue operation for Sakirul could not be conducted on Tuesday as the diving team remained engaged in Padma operation. The search will resume on Wednesday morning.
