Body of missing college student recovered from Dakatia River after 18-search in Cumilla

The body of a college student has been recovered from the Dakatia River in Cumilla’s Chauddagram upazila nearly 18 hours after he went missing while swimming.

Fire Service divers recovered the body from the Jakjore-Narandia bridge area early Saturday (May 30).

The deceased, Shihab Ahmed, 17, was a first-year student at B.N. College in Chattogram and a resident of Narandia village under Nangalkot upazila in Cumilla.

According to local sources, Shihab went missing on Friday afternoon while attempting to cross the river by swimming with a group of friends after offering Jummah prayers. He was swept away by strong currents, and despite immediate attempts by locals, he could not be rescued.

Fire Service personnel later launched a rescue operation at the scene. A specialized diving team from Chandpur also joined the search effort. After an unsuccessful initial operation on Friday, the search resumed on Saturday morning, when the body was finally recovered from the river.

Fire Service official Mehedi Hasan said the operation was suspended on Friday evening due to darkness after nearly an hour of diving attempts. The rescue operation resumed the following morning with renewed efforts by the diving team.

Authorities said the body would be handed over to the family after completion of legal procedures.