Teenage siblings die as boat capsizes in face of strong wind

Two siblings met a tragic fate during a boat trip in their grandparents' village in Chauddagram of Cumilla.

Twenty-year-old Aranya Akhtar and her younger brother Tanvir Rahman, 16, drowned in the Dakatia River when their boat capsized amidst strong wind.

The incident unfolded shortly after 11am on Friday (18 August) in Khatra village of Gunavati union within the upazila.

According to local sources, Tanveer and Aranya's family resides in Dhaka. They had gone to visit their grandmother's house in Khatra village. During their visit, the two siblings, accompanied by three others, embarked on a boat ride along the river. In the middle of the river, the boat overturned and sank due to the force of the strong wind.

While three occupants, including their cousin, managed to swim to the shore, Tanveer and Aranya, not knowing how to swim, were unable to make it to the shore.

Firefighters retrieved Tanveer's body around 2:30pm, and Aranya's body was recovered around 5pm this afternoon.

Chauddagram Police Station's Officer-in-Charge (OC), Shubo Ranjan Chakma, said the bodies of the siblings will be handed over to their families following legal procedures.