Frantic efforts to save a cow in danger

Firefighters and locals have pulled a cow free from quicksand on the bank of Padma river yesterday.

Residents of the city's Kumarpara area found the distressed animal around 8:30am.

“She was bellowing and struggling desperately. But it seemed like the more she struggled, the deeper she sank,” said Abdul Wadud, one of the first few people to be at the scene.

He added that some of them tried pulling the lactating cow up from the quicksand for over an hour. But they could not help the heavy Australian breed. 

Firefighters were called about 9:40am.

Twelve firefighters rushed to the scene immediately and were able to rescue the animal about 10:30am, Forhad Hossain, senior station officer of Rajshahi fire service station, said.

The firefighters and villagers manually lifted the beast to safety using ladders, poles and ropes while a huge crowd gathered on the bank to see the operation.

The rescuers first placed bamboos and ladders around the cow to avoid stepping into the sand. Then they placed a ladder under the cow and tied her to it with water hose pipes and ropes.

She was finally freed by the rescuers, who lifted her by pulling the ropes and hose pipes. The cow seemed tired, but unhurt as she grazed at her owner's farm later.

Chowdhury Sarwar Jahan, professor of the geology and mining department of Rajshahi University, said the sandy and wet bank was conducive to formation of quicksand. It happens when ordinary sand is saturated with water to a point where it cannot hold any heavy object on it,” he said.

“Humans or animals stuck in quicksand worsen the situation by struggling to get out by themselves. In the process, they put more weight on the sand sink. The best option is to wait for assistance.”