Four female madrasa students drowned while bathing in a canal during a class break in Raipura upazila of Narsingdi on Thursday.
Two other children were rescued alive.
The incident occurred around noon in Borkanda village under Chanderkandi Union.
The deceased were identified as Tabia, 13, daughter of Shamim Mia; Ayesha, 9, and Jannat, 8, daughters of Rubel Mia; and Sumaiya, 10, daughter of Billal Mia.
All four were students of Gausia Nure Madina Mohila Madrasa in Borkanda.
According to family members and local residents, six students went to a nearby canal to bathe during the madrasa’s tiffin break.
Two of them managed to return to the bank and informed locals, who immediately launched a rescue operation.
Residents later recovered the four missing children from the canal.
Three of them were taken to Raipura Upazila Health Complex, where doctors declared them dead.
The body of the fourth victim was taken home by her family.
Ashraful Rahman, an emergency physician at Raipura Upazila Health Complex, said the three children were brought to the hospital around 1pm.
“They had no signs of breathing or heartbeat when they were brought in. They were declared dead on arrival,” he said.
Raipura Police Station Operations Officer Nazmul Hasan said police had identified three of the deceased, while two children were rescued alive.
“We have learned that another child’s body was taken home by the family. Necessary legal steps will be taken after discussions with the victims’ families,” he said.
Child drowns in Lalmonirhat
In a separate incident, a child drowned in a pond while bathing near her home in Kaliganj upazila of Lalmonirhat.
The victim was identified as Zakia Akter, daughter of Jahangir Alam of Koitari village under Modati Union.
Family members said Zakia entered the pond near her house at around 10:30am but slipped into deep water as she did not know how to swim.
When she failed to return home, relatives and neighbours launched a search and informed the Fire Service.
A Fire Service rescue team later recovered her body from the pond around noon.
The Lalmonirhat district administration expressed deep sorrow over the incident and conveyed condolences to the bereaved family in a statement.
It also urged parents and guardians to remain vigilant about children’s safety, especially during the monsoon season.
