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Lalmonirhat, Bangladesh – A tragic incident has claimed the lives of two teenage brothers, Sifat Islam, 18, and Soyeb Karim Swachchho, 14, who drowned in the Teesta River this afternoon. The brothers, students of Lalmonirhat Cantonment Public School and College, were reportedly bathing near their home when the younger sibling was caught by a strong current, and the elder brother perished attempting a rescue.

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Sifat Islam, 18, and his younger brother Soyeb Karim Swachchho, 14, sons of Rezaul Alam of Rajpur village

Eyewitnesses and local residents point to illegal sand extraction as the likely cause of the tragedy. They allege that the continuous dredging has created deep, hidden pits in the riverbed, leading to treacherous underwater currents, especially during the monsoon season. Repeated complaints to the upazila administration about this illegal activity have, according to locals, gone unaddressed, fostering dangerous conditions.

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the incident happened at a location where a deep pit had formed in the riverbed due to illegal sand extraction using dredgers, which reportedly created strong underwater currents during the monsoon season.

The victims' father, Rezaul Alam, a visibly distraught man, directly blamed the sand extraction for the fatal circumstances, stating that the river would not have posed such a danger had it not been for the illegal activity. While the Lalmonirhat Sadar Upazila Nirbahi Officer, Mononita Das, acknowledged receiving information about the deaths and mentioned past actions against illegal sand extraction, the community's sentiment is one of frustration and grief over a preventable loss. An unnatural death case has been filed, and the bodies have been returned to the family, but the underlying issue of illegal sand mining and its deadly consequences remains a grave concern.

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repeated complaints had been made to the upazila administration over illegal sand extraction from the Teesta, but no effective action had been taken.