Three Children Drown While Washing Football After Playing

Three children, including a brother and sister, drowned in a pond in Bogura’s Kahaloo upazila on Tuesday afternoon, turning an ordinary morning of play into a devastating tragedy for two families.

The incident took place at around 1pm at Valta Guchchogram in Murail Union of Kahaloo upazila. The deceased were identified as six-year-old Jakirul, son of Asadul Islam; eight-year-old Faim, son of Faruk Mondal; and five-year-old Suraiya, also the daughter of Faruk Mondal. Faim and Suraiya were siblings.

According to local residents, the children had been playing football in the morning. After finishing their game, they went to a pond beside the guchchogram to wash the football. At some point, all three children entered the water. The circumstances that led to the drowning were not immediately clear.

At about 1pm, a local woman reportedly noticed Jakirul’s body floating in the pond and raised the alarm. Hearing her cries, residents rushed to the scene and recovered the child from the water. He was taken to Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College Hospital in Bogura, where doctors on duty declared him dead.

Meanwhile, Faim and Suraiya had not returned home, prompting their family members to become increasingly concerned. Local resident Mintu Pramanik was asked to search the pond. He subsequently entered the water and recovered Faim’s body.

The search for Suraiya continued after she could not be found immediately. With the child still missing, the family and local residents contacted the Fire Service and Civil Defence. Fire service personnel later arrived at the pond and began a search operation. They eventually recovered Suraiya’s body from the water.

The deaths have left the local community in shock. The incident also highlights the risks children can face around unprotected ponds and other bodies of water, particularly when they enter them without adult supervision. In rural and semi-rural areas, ponds are common and often located close to homes and playgrounds, making vigilance around children especially important.

Kahaloo Police Station Officer-in-Charge Shafiqul Islam said police went to the scene after receiving information about the incident. Officers prepared inquest reports of the deceased children, and legal procedures were under way.

The tragedy has cast a pall of grief over Valta Guchchogram, where the three children had reportedly spent the morning playing together before the fatal incident.