Dhaka schoolteacher falls to her death trying to retrieve cat from building ledge

A young schoolteacher has fallen to her death from a rooftop in the capital's Bhatara while trying to rescue her pet cat, which had been missing overnight.

The victim, identified as Banya D’Costa, was a teacher at a local missionary school, bdnews24.com reports. 

The incident occurred on Monday morning at a residential building in the Sayeednagar B Block.

According to police, Banya and her husband Shovon Palma had been searching for their pet since it went missing on Sunday night.

After an unsuccessful search in the dark, Banya went back up to the roof on Monday morning to continue looking.

Bhatara Police Sub-Inspector (SI) Kamruzzaman, quoting the victim's husband, said Banya spotted the cat on the cornice of an adjacent building from their three-storey rooftop.

"When she reached out to rescue the cat from the ledge, she lost her footing and fell to the ground," the SI said.

Banya was immediately taken to Kurmitola General Hospital, where doctors pronounced her dead.

The victim and her husband are originally from Natore district.

Authorities are currently investigating the scene to rule out any other possibilities, though initial findings suggest it was an accident.