A desperate search and rescue operation entered its second day in Gazipur’s Tongi following the sudden disappearance of two young boys swept away by strong currents while fishing in the Turag River.
The incident occurred on Wednesday afternoon beneath the railway bridge in the Jamaibazar area, where ten-year-old Abi Yunus and nine-year-old Nirob had gathered by the water’s edge. Abi Yunus is the son of Shahjahan, whilst Nirob is the son of Shah Alam; both families reside as tenants at the property of Ali Commissioner in Tongi’s Boubazar area. What was meant to be a routine afternoon by the riverbank turned into tragedy when the children were caught in the river’s swift flow and quickly dragged underwater.
Local residents alerted the emergency services as soon as they realised the boys had vanished. Fire Service and Civil Defence personnel from Tongi arrived swiftly at the scene to initiate search efforts, later reinforced by a specialist team of divers. Rescuers combed the waters surrounding the bridge until half-past seven on Wednesday evening, but mounting darkness and adverse conditions forced a temporary suspension of the operation overnight.
Crews resumed the search at first light on Thursday morning, methodically scouring potential zones along the river’s course. By noon, divers had yet to locate either child, though senior officials confirmed that search operations would continue unabated.
Senior Station Officer Md. Shahin Alam of the Tongi Fire Service and Civil Defence station confirmed the details, stating that teams responded immediately upon receiving the emergency call on Wednesday afternoon. He noted that while nighttime hazards dictated a pause in diving operations, search efforts restarted early on Thursday with high-intensity underwater searches.
News of the event has cast a deep pall over the Boubazar community. Anxious relatives, neighbors, and onlooker groups continue to gather along the riverbanks, maintaining a sombre vigil as emergency teams work through the treacherous riverbed currents.
The Turag River, a critical tributary weaving through the heavily populated industrial zone of Gazipur, often poses serious hazards during monsoon and post-monsoon months when water levels remain high and undercurrents prove deceptively intense. Hazardous stretches near structural embankments and railway bridges are particularly notorious for unpredictable swirls and sudden drops in underwater topography. Local authorities routinely caution residents and urge parents to keep young children away from steep, unfortified riverfronts during periods of strong flow, though informal fishing remains a common pastime for young neighborhood children living nearby.
