Dhaka: A newlywed couple drowned in a canal in Badalgachhi upazila of Naogaon district on Sunday. The deceased were identified as Nur Islam, 22, of Bedbariya village in Gangni upazila of Meherpur district, and his wife Sumaiya Akter, 18, daughter of Shahin of Kartikahar village in Badalgachhi upazila. The couple had been married for only seven months.

According to United News of Bangladesh, witnesses reported that Nur Islam and Sumaiya had come to Sumaiya’s house on Saturday afternoon. On Sunday noon, Nur Islam jumped into a canal beside Kartikahar village to take a bath. When he did not reappear for a long time, Sumaiya jumped into the water in an attempt to rescue him, but both of them subsequently drowned.

Local people later rescued the couple from the canal and rushed them to Badalgachhi Upazila Health Complex, where doctors declared both dead on arrival. Dr Tahrima Akter Munni, a physician at the hospital, stated, “They had died long before they were brought to the hospital.”

A sense of mourning enveloped the area following the incident. Mohammad Ruhul Amin, Officer-in-Charge of Badalgachhi Police Station, mentioned that legal steps would be taken after discussions with the victims’ family members.