A ninth-grade student tragically drowned in a resort lake while visiting his aunt’s residence in Khailara Bari, Sreepur, Gazipur, with his father.
The incident occurred at the under-construction Friends and Family Resort located in the Gojartoli village of Prahladpur Union.
The deceased, Arian Swapnil, 14, was the son of Russel Mia from the Harinal (Noagaon) area of Gazipur City and a student of Year Model School.
After 28 hours of being reported missing, a five-member diving team from Tongi Fire Service recovered his body on Tuesday at 4pm.
According to locals, on Monday morning, Russel Mia, a resident of Harinal, visited his sister’s home in Gojartoli village with his two sons.
In the afternoon, he took them to the nearby Friends and Family Resort, which is currently under construction.
While exploring the lake on a tube, he first took his middle son, Swapnil, for a ride, then dropped him off near the shore before heading further into the lake with his younger son.
Unnoticed by his father, Swapnil reentered the lake with a ball and began playing in the water.
Suddenly, he called out for help. His father turned to see only his son’s hands above the water.
Despite rushing back, Swapnil drowned before his father could reach him.
Locals immediately began searching the lake using nets, and the Tongi Fire Service diving team initiated a rescue operation that continued until 8pm on Monday without success.
The search resumed at 8am on Tuesday, and the diving team recovered the body at 4p,m subsequently handing it over to the family.
Heartbroken, Russel Mia recounted: “I was swimming in the lake with my sons. After leaving Swapnil by the shore, I went further in with my younger son. I didn’t notice that Swapnil followed us into the lake with a football. At one point, he called me ‘Abbu' and I saw only his hands above the water. Before I could reach him, he drowned right before my eyes. I couldn’t save my own son.”
The owner of the under-construction resort, Atikullah Babul, said: “There was no negligence on our part. As the resort is still under development, there was no supervision system in place for the lake. Visitors often enter the lake to swim at their own risk.”
Idris Ali, head of the Tongi Fire Service diving team, confirmed that a six-hour rescue attempt was conducted on Monday, and after resuming on Tuesday morning, the body was recovered in the afternoon.
Officer-in-Charge of Sreepur Police Station, Zainal Abedin Mondol, said that legal action would be taken if the victim’s family files a formal complaint.