Four cousins drowned while collecting water lilies in a beel (wetland) in Meherpur Sadar upazila on Sunday afternoon.

The tragic incident took place at Mosurivhaja Beel in Rajnagar village.

The deceased were identified as Fatema (14) and Afia (12), daughters of Abdus Samad; Mim (14), daughter of Ishaq; and Alia (10), daughter of Shaharul.

Fatema was an eighth grader at Muminpur High School, Mim was an eighth grader at Amjhupi High School, while Afia and Alia were fourth graders at Amjhupi Trinomul Model Academy.

According to locals, the four girls went to the beel around noon to collect shapla (water lilies) but did not return home for hours. Family members started searching for them, and soon after, locals spotted their bodies floating on the water.

Upon receiving the news, firefighters and police from Meherpur Sadar rushed to the scene, recovered the bodies, and handed them over to their families.

Shamim Hossain, station master of Meherpur Fire Service and Civil Defence, said the bodies were recovered from a deep pit inside the beel.

Officer-in-Charge (OC) Sheikh Mezbah Uddin of Meherpur Sadar Police Station said a team was sent to the spot and an unnatural death case would be filed in connection with the incident.

Local political leaders and officials of the district administration visited the victims’ families to express condolences and assure all possible assistance.

The district administration also provided financial support from the Disaster and Relief Ministry’s fund.

Additional Deputy Commissioner Tarikul Islam said awareness campaigns on the importance of swimming lessons would be strengthened across the district to prevent such incidents in the future.