Teen drowns in Piyain river at Jaflong

A teenage boy drowned in Piyain river while visiting Jaflong in Sylhet today.

The deceased was identified as Noyon Hossain, 13, of Subidbazar area in Sylhet city.

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Noyon, along with 13 friends, went on a trip to Jaflong during Eid holidays.

According to witnesses, this noon, he was swimming in the river when he stepped in a deep pit formed due to illegal stone extraction from the river, and drowned. His body was recovered around 4:30pm.

Confirming the matter, Mohammad Bashir Uddin, additional superintendent of Tourist Police in Sylhet, said the body has been sent to a hospital morgue for autopsy.

"Illegal stone extractors dig numerous pits in the river to extract stones, creating deadly traps across the area. Since these pits are made illegally, we often don't have information about their locations, making it difficult to put up warning signs," he said.

Bashir urged authorities to take adequate measures to stop illegal stone and sand extraction in Jaflong -- an 'Ecologically Critical Area' and a 'Geological Heritage Site'.