Father, son drown while retting jute in Kushtia

A man and his son drowned while retting jute in the dead Kaliganga River in Kushtia’s Kumarkhali upazila on Tuesday.

The deceased were Zahidul Islam, 45, an employee at the Kushtia Rural and Poverty Alleviation Foundation, and his son Jihad, 9, a class four student at Jangali Government Primary School.

Locals said Zahidul slipped while returning to shore with his son on his shoulder, causing both to drown. Villagers later recovered their bodies after a frantic hour-long search.

The tragic incident cast a pall of grief over the Jangali area.

Sub-inspector Billal Hossain Khan of Kumarkhali Police Station said, “We’ve received initial reports that the father and son drowned while retting jute. A detailed investigation is underway in consultation with higher authorities.”