A festive family gathering ended in tragedy in Narsingdi on Friday afternoon, 11 September, when four individuals—including a daughter, son-in-law, and grandson—went missing after drowning in the Shitalakshya River. The incident occurred at around 3:00 pm in the Charlakhpur area under Shibpur Upazila.
The missing persons have been identified as Obaidullah, 35, the eldest son-in-law of local resident Mojibur Sheikh; Shanta, 22, Mojibur Sheikh’s youngest daughter; Shanto, 17, his grandson; and Sourav, 15, a local teenager who plunged into the water in a desperate rescue effort.
According to family members and local emergency responders, Mojibur Sheikh’s household had been hosting a large family reunion. His eldest daughter Shahinur, alongside her husband Obaidullah and their children, had arrived to visit the homestead. They were joined by Mojibur’s two other daughters, Shahida and Shanta, who had also brought their children for the holiday gathering.
The tragedy unfolded when Shanta stepped down to the bank of the adjacent Shitalakshya River at 3:00 pm to bathe. Strong currents swept her away almost immediately. Hearing her cries for help, Obaidullah and Shanto—the son of Mojibur’s second daughter, Shahida—leaped into the river to pull her out. Unable to withstand the powerful undertow, both men were swept under the surface. Seeing them submerge, several neighbours, including 15-year-old Sourav, rushed into the river to assist, but Sourav was likewise dragged underwater by the swift currents.
Alerted by panicked relatives, personnel from Shibpur Fire Service and officers from Shibpur Police Station arrived at the scene around 6:00 pm to initiate search operations. However, fading daylight and deep river currents hampered visibility, forcing rescue crews to suspend active sweeps for the night without locating any of the victims.
Local Union Parishad member Nasir Uddin Howlader expressed deep shock over the incident, noting that a joyous family visit dissolved into grief within minutes as four people disappeared one after another.
Confirming the status of the operation, Islam Khan, Officer-in-Charge of Shibpur Fire Service, stated that initial surface searches yielded no trace of the missing individuals. He added that a specialized diving team from Dhaka has been dispatched and will launch a comprehensive underwater rescue operation at first light on Saturday morning.
