Two college students go missing in Padma

Two college students went missing in the Padma River while taking a bath in Shrirampur area of Rajshahi city on Saturday.

They are Golam Sarwar Saim, 17, son of Saidur Rahman and Rifat Khandakar, 17, son of late Khaja Moin Uddin, hailing from Meherchandi and Dargapara areas respectively of the city.

They are first-year students of the higher secondary level at Rajshahi Cantonment Public School and College.

Another student Nasir Hasan said four friends including him went to the river to take a bath around 11am and no one of them knew how to swim.

At one stage, Saim and Rifat went missing, he said, adding that they tried to save them but failed.

Wahidul Islam, deputy director of Rajshahi Fire Service and Civil Defence, said their divers were conducting rescue operations in the river after being informed by locals.

He said that the students might have drowned as they didn’t know how to swim, but the search operation will continue.