Youth Missing After Boat Capsizes in Karnaphuli River

A 20-year-old man has gone missing after a small wooden boat capsized in the Karnaphuli River while he and his brother were collecting floating timber in Rangunia Upazila of Chattogram on Saturday morning.

The incident occurred around 9:00 a.m. in the Purba Sarafbhata area.

The missing man was identified as Md. Soleman, while his elder brother, Abdul Halim, 30, was rescued by local residents. Both are sons of Badiul Alam of the Lokman Mistri Bari area in Purba Sarafbhata.

According to the Fire Service and local sources, the two brothers had gone into the Karnaphuli River in a small wooden boat to collect logs and firewood floating downstream. Their boat overturned after being caught in a strong current, throwing both men into the river.

Nearby timber collectors managed to rescue Abdul Halim, but Soleman was swept away by the fast-moving current and remains missing.

Mohammad Bijoy Molla, a firefighter at the Rangunia Fire Service and Civil Defence Station, said a rescue team was dispatched immediately after receiving the report around 9:00 a.m. Divers from the Agrabad Fire Service later joined the operation.

Rescue teams from the Rangunia and Agrabad Fire Service stations were continuing a joint search operation in the Karnaphuli River on Saturday in an effort to locate the missing youth.