Two women drowned in the Brahmaputra River in Kapasia upazila of Gazipur on Sunday morning. The incident occurred around 10:30 a.m. in the Khirati Dakshinpara area of the upazila. The deceased have been identified as Bilkis Akhter (35) and Lipi Akhter (40), both residents of the same neighborhood. Another woman, Sultana Akhter (35), survived and is currently undergoing treatment.
According to locals, part of a road near the women’s homes had collapsed into the river earlier in the morning, bringing down trees and debris. When the water began to collect leaves and branches, four women entered the river to clear them. One managed to swim to shore, while the others began to drown. Villagers rescued Bilkis and Sultana and rushed them to the hospital, where Bilkis died around 11:30 a.m. during treatment.
A diving team from the Tongi Fire Service and Civil Defense was deployed to search for the missing Lipi Akhter. After hours of rescue operations, her body was recovered from the river around 3:45 p.m.
Kapasia Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md. Abdur Rob confirmed that the bodies of the two deceased women have been handed over to their families. Authorities have urged residents to exercise caution near the riverbanks, especially in areas affected by erosion.
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