Dhaka, June 2 -- The body of a 7-year-old girl who was dragged into a crocodile-inhabited pond beside the shrine of Hazrat Khan Jahan Ali in Bagerhat has been recovered hours after the incident.

Rescuers retrieved the body around 4am on Tuesday from the eastern bank of the pond, said shrine caretaker and former district Jubo Dal president Fakir Tarikul Islam.

He said the body was spotted floating near the eastern shore at dawn, after which rescue teams used boats to recover it.

The girl, identified only as Fatema, was pulled into the water around 8:15pm on Monday, he said.

Witnesses said she had gone down the steps of the pond to bathe or wash her hands and feet when a crocodile, lurking in the water, suddenly attacked and dragged her...