Four children among 5 killed in boat capsize

Four children and a woman drowned and three people received injuries in a boat capsize in the Ulipur upazila of the Kurigram district on Tuesday afternoon.

The deceased were identified as Runa Begum, 30, Hasibul, 8, Rupa Moni, 8, Morselin, 7, and Mumu, 9. They all were residents of Natun Anantapur village.

According to witnesses, around 15 to 20  people, including women and children, onboard a boat went to visit their relatives' houses that went under floodwaters.

The boat was caught by a strong current of floodwaters when it reached near the houses, and sank.

Another boat immediately rushed there and rescued all, but five, passengers of the capsized boat.

Later, three were rescued in a critical condition, but they died on the way to the hospital.

At around 6pm, fire service and civil defence personnel, and a team of divers pulled two bodies from the water.

The injured -- Lovely Begum, 45, Rumi Begum, 16, and Ayesha Siddika, 5 -- have been admitted to the Ulipur Health Complex.

Ulipur police station Officer-in-Charge Moazzem Hossain and upazila vice-chairman Abu Sayeed Sarker visited the spot.