Six collecting stone die in Kanaighat river bank collapse

The collapse of a river bank in Sylhet’s Kanaighat has led to the deaths of six, including five madrassa students, collecting stone nearby.

The incident occurred on the bank of the Lobhachora River in Chandala’s Banglatila area around Tuesday morning, said Sylhet Additional Superintendent of Police Shamsul Alam.

The dead have been identified as Zakir, 16, brothers Nahid, 13, and Shakil, 12, Maruf, 13, Abdul Kadir, 13 and Sundar Ali, 35.

The teenagers are students at Daukergul Nesarul Quran Hafizia Madrasa. Sundar Ali is a local resident.

Locals organise a fair at the madrasa for an annual waj mahfil celebration, police official Alam said. The group had gone to collect stone at the river in order to earn money for the occasion, he said.

“The Lobhachora River has dried up, exposing many stones on the river bed. They had gone to collect them for sale.”

Soil from the river bank suddenly collapsed, burying the group. Police have been able to recover six bodies with support from locals.