DE Online Desk :
The body of a six-month-old baby was recovered from the Chaktai canal this morning, nearly 14 hours after a battery-run rickshaw plunged into an open drain amid heavy water flow in the Kapasgola area of Chattogram.
Local residents spotted the infant’s body around 10:10am and pulled it out before notifying the fire service, confirmed Md Abdullah, assistant director of Chattogram Fire Service and Civil Defence.
The body was later handed over to the local police station.
The tragic incident occurred around 8:30pm on Friday near the Nawab Hotel in the Kapasgola area.
The rickshaw, carrying a woman and her baby, lost control and veered into the roadside drain, which was overflowing due to rainfall.
While the woman managed to survive, her child was swept away by the powerful current, said Anwar Hossain, another assistant director of the fire service.
“Firefighters from the Chandanpura unit were dispatched immediately and launched a search operation,” Anwar Hossain added. “Due to the strong current in the drain, the baby was carried away.”
Chattogram City Corporation Mayor Rezaul Karim Chowdhury arrived at the scene around 9:00pm and supervised the ongoing rescue efforts.
Residents of the area have long raised concerns about the city’s poor drainage infrastructure.
Many drains and canals remain uncovered or lack protective barriers, posing serious hazards—especially during the rainy season.
Locals described the drains as “death traps” and urged authorities to take immediate action to prevent such tragedies.