Fire Service diver's body recovered from Shitalakkha river after 8-hour search
Md Sadik fell from a speedboat while clearing water hyacinth near a fire jetty in Narayanganj and was later found dead during a rescue operation involving multiple agencies.
The body of Bangladesh Fire Service and Civil Defence diver Md Sadik was recovered from the Shitalakkha river in Narayanganj this evening (16 July), nearly eight hours after he fell from a speedboat while clearing water hyacinth near a fire jetty.
The deceased was identified as Md Sadik, 25, son of Ashraf Sheikh of Kumrakandi village of Goalanda upazila in Rajbari district. He is survived by his wife.
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Fire Service divers recovered his body at around 7pm. Diver Meraj Ali of the Aricha River Fire Station in Manikganj, currently attached to Tongi Fire Station, retrieved the body at 7:03pm.
Sadik fell into the river at around 11:20am while carrying out maintenance work on a speedboat belonging to the Narayanganj River Fire Station.
The incident was confirmed by Shahjahan Sikder, acting officer of the Fire Service Media Cell.
He said Fire Service divers launched a rescue operation immediately after the incident. Teams from the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA), Bangladesh Navy and Bangladesh Coast Guard later joined the search efforts.
Abdullah Al Arefin, assistant deputy director of the Mandalpara Fire Service in Narayanganj, said Sadik fell into the river while clearing water hyacinth that had accumulated near the jetty.
"It is suspected that he sustained a head injury while falling, causing him to lose consciousness and drown," he said.
According to Fire Service sources, he joined the Bangladesh Fire Service and Civil Defence on 24 October 2021 and had been serving as a diver at the Narayanganj River Fire Station.
During his service, Sadik took part in numerous rescue operations and was recognised with a state medal for his bravery and dedicated service.
