Long wait for divers puts drowning victims at greater risk in Kushtia

When 12-year-old Mostakim Hossain drowned in the Padma River his family had little choice but to wait.

Local rescuers searched for the madrasa student after he went missing while playing football with friends at Bhagjot Ghat in Kushtia’s Daulatpur upazila on August 28.

But the district had no trained fire service divers of its own.

Instead, the family had to wait for a specialist team to travel nearly 150km from Khulna.

By the time the divers arrived several hours passed. Mostakim’s body was eventually recovered from the river the following morning.

For his mother, Sheuli Khatun, the wait was agonising.

“My son drowned while playing with his friends on a holiday. We still could not find him. We had to wait for people to come from Khulna before the search could begin,” she said.

The case highlights a persistent problem in Kushtia, a riverine district where several major waterways run through communities but where the fire service has no dedicated trained diving team.

At least eight rivers and waterways including the Padma, Gorai, Mathabhanga, Hisna, Kaliganga, Kumar and Sagarkhali flow through Kushtia.

For many residents, these rivers are central to daily life, transport and livelihoods.But they also pose a constant risk.

When someone goes missing in the water, local fire service personnel can often reach the scene quickly. Yet without trained divers and specialist equipment, they are frequently unable to begin an effective underwater search.

Instead, they must request assistance from Khulna, around 150km away.

According to the Kushtia Fire Service, it can take six to eight hours for the Khulna diving team to reach the district after being alerted.

That delay can be critical when someone is still alive after a drowning incident.

Several people have drowned in Kushtia’s rivers in August alone.

On 5 August, two children, five-year-old Nuri Khatun and eight-year-old Jamila Khatun, fell into the Padma after part of the riverbank collapsed in Daulatpur’s Moricha union.

Local people rescued Jamila alive but Nuri remained missing until her body was recovered from the Padma in Mirpur upazila the following day.

On 14 August, eight-year-old Alif Hossain went missing from the Padma River near the Shilaidaha ghat in Kumarkhali. His body was recovered later that evening.

Ten days later, fisherman Parimal Mondal, 38, drowned while fishing in the Gorai River near the MN embankment area of Kumarkhali municipality.

Residents say the first few hours after a drowning are crucial.

Local people often try to help using boats, fishing nets and other improvised equipment. But they say these cannot replace trained divers and modern rescue equipment.

Amirul Islam, who lives near the Padma, said families faced a double ordeal.

“When someone goes missing in the river, relatives are already terrified that they may have lost a loved one. Then they have to wait for the rescue team to arrive,” he said.

Another resident, Momin Islam, said a rapid response could sometimes mean the difference between life and death.

“If the search begins immediately, there is a chance of finding someone alive. But waiting for a diving team from another district can reduce that chance,” he said.

Sahab Uddin Milon, founder of the social organisation Manush Manusher Jonno, said the absence of a permanent diving team was difficult to justify in a district with major rivers such as the Padma and Gorai.

“Kushtia urgently needs a permanent diving team and proper rescue equipment at fire stations in areas considered particularly vulnerable,” he said.

Kushtia Fire Service Assistant Director Wadud Hossain said, “Kushtia is a riverine district so the risk of water-related accidents is high,” he said.

“But because there is no separate diving team at the district level, we have to depend on Khulna.”

He said the Khulna team generally takes six to eight hours to reach Kushtia after receiving a request.

“We often face public anger because we have to wait for the Khulna divers after every accident,” he said.

The fire service has repeatedly written to senior authorities requesting a diving team for Kushtia, he said.

“Considering the geographical reality of the district, we have repeatedly informed the higher authorities about the need to form a diving team. But so far, we have not received any positive response.”

The problem is part of a much larger national drowning crisis. WHO’s latest estimate, released in July 2026, says around 9,600 people die from drowning in Bangladesh every year.

Drowning is the leading cause of death among children aged 1-4, according to the UN health agency.

Source: UNB NEWS