Crocodile drags eight-year-old girl to her death at Bangladesh shrine

A crocodile attacked and dragged away an eight-year-old girl while she was bathing with her mother at the Hazrat Khan Jahan Ali Shrine in Bagerhat, Bangladesh. The girl's body was recovered early Tuesday morning by divers following an extensive overnight search operation.

“

The child's mother, who is reportedly mentally challenged, went down to the water with her daughter to bathe around 8:20pm. It was then that the crocodile, which resides in the pond, attacked and dragged the eight-year-old girl away.

The incident occurred around 8:20 pm on Monday when the child's mother, who is reportedly mentally challenged, took her daughter to bathe in the pond, a known habitat for crocodiles. The crocodile seized the girl and pulled her into deeper waters, despite immediate rescue efforts by local youths.

Thousands of visitors were present at the shrine following the Eid holidays, and while watchmen were on duty, the suddenness of the attack caught everyone by surprise. Shrine caretakers confirmed the presence of crocodiles in the pond but stated that such an attack was unforeseen.

“

Thousands of visitors were here today. We have watchmen on duty, but no one could have anticipated this sudden attack.

In response to the tragedy, authorities are considering implementing safety measures. These include temporarily restricting bathing at the main ghats of the pond and installing barriers to keep crocodiles away from public access areas. The local lawmaker has pledged to expedite the installation of these barriers to ensure the safety of devotees and visitors.

“

We previously decided in a law-and-order meeting to install barriers to prevent the crocodiles from approaching the bathing ghats. The process would be expedited so devotees could perform rituals safely.