Septuagenarian, 2 grandchildren drown in Laxmipur pond

 
LAXMIPUR, Sept 6: An elderly man and his two grandchildren drowned in a pond in Laxmipur on Sunday, with locals saying the children drowned while trying to save their grandfather.

The deceased were identified as Abu Siddique, 70, his grandson Piyas, 8, and granddaughter Popi Akter, 6.

The incident occurred around noon at a pond in the Ibrahim Patowari house area of Shakchar Union’s Ward 6 under Laxmipur Sadar Upazila.

Abu Siddique was the son of Abdul Mannan Patowari of the Ibrahim Patowari house area. Piyas was the son of his son Abdul Aziz, while Popi was the daughter of his daughter Sumi Akter.

Locals said Abu Siddique went to bathe in the pond in front of their home with his two grandchildren. After entering the water, the elderly man went underwater but did not resurface for a long time.

At one point, Piyas and Popi entered the water to look for their grandfather and also drowned.

Locals recovered the bodies about an hour later.

It is suspected that Abu Siddique suffered a stroke after diving into the pond, leaving him unable to resurface. The two children may have drowned while attempting to rescue him, locals said.

Mehedi Hasan Faruk, a member of Ward 1 of Shakchar Union Parishad, said three members of the same family had died in the incident.

“It is extremely tragic,” he said.

Wahid Parvez, Officer-in-Charge of Laxmipur Sadar Model Police Station, said police had been sent to the scene after receiving information about the incident.

“It is very sad. We will speak to the family and take necessary legal steps,” he said.