Madrasa student drowned while bathing in Cox’s Bazar’s Pekua

An 18-year-old madrasa student drowned while bathing in a pond at Pekua upazila in Cox’s Bazar on Saturday morning (May 9).

The incident took place around 9:30am at the family’s residential pond.

The deceased was identified as Mehedi Hasan Maruf, 18, son of Mizbah Uddin Babul of Annar Ali Matbar Para under Ward No. 5 of Sadar Union. He was a second-year Alim student at Pekua Anwarul Ulum Islamia Alim Madrasa.

According to locals and family members, Maruf had long been suffering from thalassemia. After getting a haircut in the morning, he returned home and went to the pond for a bath. However, he reportedly did not know how to swim.

When family members could not find him for some time, they began searching and eventually spotted him floating in the pond. He was quickly rescued and taken to Pekua Upazila Health Complex, where on-duty doctors declared him dead.

Pekua Police Station Officer-in-Charge Muhammad Mehedi Hasan confirmed the incident, saying police visited the scene after receiving information. “An unnatural death case will be filed. As the family raised no objection, the body has been handed over to relatives,” he said.

Maruf’s sudden death has cast a pall of grief over his family, classmates, and the local community.