An eight-year-old boy drowned in a river in the Nabinagar Muktul Hossain Para area under Bishalgarh police station of Sepahijala district on Sunday afternoon.
Local sources said that the child, identified as Azmir Islam ( 8), was playing with other children near the riverbank when he suddenly fell into the water and went missing.
After local residents were alerted, personnel from the Bishalgarh Fire and Emergency Services station and the NDRF were informed and reached the spot to launch a search operation.
However, local residents alleged that the rescue operation was delayed and accused some Fire Service personnel of being more focused on recording videos on their mobile phones than on carrying out the rescue operation. The allegations could not be independently verified.
Despite prolonged search efforts, Azmir could not be located, and the rescue teams reportedly had to return without finding the child.
The incident left the boy’s mother and relatives devastated. As news of the incident spread, a large number of local residents gathered at the spot.
The search for the missing child was continuing, while further details regarding the incident were awaited.