Multiple drownings reported across Malda, North & South Dinajpur

Malda/Balurghat/Raiganj: A number of drowning incidents have come to the fore in Malda, North Dinajpur and South Dinajpur.

A pall of gloom descended over the Bairdangi area under Chaknagar in Gazole, Malda, after the bodies of two minor girls were recovered on Thursday from the Tangon River, two days after they went missing.

According to local sources, three girls—Barsha Majumdar (12), Suma Halder (13), and Paramita Roy—had gone to bathe in the river on Tuesday.

While bathing, all three reportedly began to drown. Paramita somehow managed to reach the riverbank, but Barsha and Suma were swept away by the current.

Villagers, along with Civil Defence personnel, immediately launched a search operation using speed boats. Despite continuous efforts, no trace of the two girls was found until Wednesday evening. The search resumed on Thursday morning. “Finally, around noon, both bodies were recovered from the river,” said a Civil Defence official.

The body of a man was found floating in the Atreyee River on Thursday morning in the Patiram police station area of South Dinajpur. Local residents spotted the body around 9 am near Nichabandar and alerted the police. The deceased has been identified as Mithun Das (45), a resident of Thanapara in Patiram. He had been missing since March 17, following which a complaint was lodged on March 18. Police recovered the body and sent it for post-mortem. Preliminary findings suggest he may have drowned while fishing. An investigation is underway.

On Wednesday afternoon, a Class IX student, Subhasish Mandal (15), drowned while bathing in the Kulik River near Khamujaghat in North Dinajpur district. According to sources, Subhasish, a resident of Ashokpally and a student of Mahanbati High School, had left home for school but instead went to the river with a friend.

While bathing, he reportedly slipped into deep water and drowned. After an extensive search, his body was recovered in the evening.