District
Lightning strikes kill 7 in 4 dists
At least seven were killed and nine others injured by lightning strikes in Rangamati, Sylhet, Khagrachhari and Cox’s Bazar districts on Thursday.
In Rangamati, three people were killed and seven others injured when thunderbolts struck them in separate places in the morning.
The deceased were identified as Najir Ahmed, 50, a resident of Sylheti Para in Rangamati district town, Baharjan Begum, 55, wife of Lal Mia of Baghaichari upazila and Tripura Grihini, 37 of Sajek.
Dr Shawkat Akbar Khan, resident medical officer of Rangamati General Hospital, said Najir Ahmed died on the spot when a thunder bolt struck him while he was catching fish at Kaptai Lake in the morning.
Meanwhile, Baharjan was killed by the lightning strike while bringing cattle from the field amid rain, said Jasmin Chakma, chairman of Rupkari union.
A goat also died during lightning.
On the other hand, Tripura Grihini was killed when a streak of thunderbolt hit him while she working at her yard in Sajek’s Longthianpara.
Shirin Akter, Baghaichhari Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO), said two people—Baharjan and Tripura died in the upazila and Tk 10,000 each was provided to the family members of the deceased.
Seven people were also injured during lightning strikes in different parts of the district.
In Cox’s Bazar, two workers were killed as a thunderbolt struck them in separate places at Chhari Para in Pekua upazila of Cox’s Bazar district early Thursday.
The deceased were identified as Didarul Islam, 35, son of Jamir and Md Arman, 25, son of Jamal of the upazila.
Yunus Chowdhury, chairman of Magnama union, said Didar died on the spot when a streak of thunderbolt struck him while he was working at the salt field at Kodailladiya early in this morning.
Meanwhile, Arman was hit by lightning strike and died on the spot when he was working in the early morning, said Rajakhali Union chairman Nazrul Islam Shikdar.
In Khagrachhari, a schoolboy was killed by lightning strike while picking up mango during storm at Matiranga upazila on Thursday morning.
The deceased was identified as Yeasin Arfat of Ibrahim Para in the upazila, said Daizy Chakraborty, Matiranga Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO).
In Sylhet, a farmer was killed and two others injured when a thunderbolt struck them while they were harvesting boro paddy at Dighirpara East union of Kanaighat upazila on Thursday noon.
The deceased was identified as Babul Ahmed, 48, son of Abdus Salam.
Abdul Mumin Chowdhury, chairman of Dighirpara East union, said Babul’s nephew Fahim Ahmed, 17 and Pradeep Biswas, son of Babu Biswas were also injured.
Lightning strikes kill 250 people on an average every year in the country, according to the Bangladesh Meteorological Department. Thunderbolts also kill or injure a large number of livestocks.
Lightning strikes mostly occur in from April to May till June and most of the deaths occur in flat lands and haor areas.
According to the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, 2,164 people died in lightning strikes in the country from 2011 to 2020. Considering the upward trend, the government in 2016 declared it as a national disaster.
Rain brings relief in Port City
Intermittent rains since Thursday (May 02, 2024) morning brought respite to Chattogram city dwellers from the scorching heat that has been prevailing across the country for the last several days.
Rain and thunderstorm started around 9:30 am in different parts of the Port City.
As rain provided relief, many expressed gratitude by posting on their social media profiles.
4 family members among 5 killed in Habiganj road accident
Md Abdul Barek, a meteorologist at Patenga Weather Office, said they have recorded one mm of rainfall in the past 24 hours till 9 am on Thursday and city dwellers will likely experience more rains today.
Besides, the river ports have been asked to hoist local cautionary signal no 1 and more rains with thunderstorms will likely occur in the district.
According to Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD), rain or thundershowers accompanied by temporary gusty or squally wind is likely to occur at a few places over Chattogram and Sylhet divisions and at one or two places over Dhaka, Mymensingh and Barishal divisions with hails at isolated places.
Weather may remain mainly dry with temporary partly cloudy sky elsewhere over the country.
Dhaka’s air ‘unhealthy for sensitive groups’ this morning
Meanwhile, a very severe heatwave is sweeping over the districts of Jashore, Khulna, Chuadanga, Pabna and Rajshahi and severe heatwave is sweeping over the districts of Tangail, Faridpur, Gopalganj and rest of the Khulna division.
A mild to moderate heatwave is sweeping elsewhere over the country and it may abate from some places over the eastern part of the country.
4 family members among 5 killed in Habiganj road accident
Four members of a family were among five killed in a head-on collision between a microbus and truck on Dhaka-Sylhet highway in Madhabpur upazila of Habiganj district early Thursday.
The deceased were identified as Md Jamal, 40; his wife Kamrunnahar, 35; their son Ananta,11; Jamal’s younger brother Enamul Islam, 35, of Galachipa under Patuakhali district and driver Harun Bepari, 35, a resident of Bakerganj in Barishal district.
According to locals, the Dhaka-bound microbus from Sylhet collided with a truck coming from the opposite direction at 1:45 am on Thursday. Five people, including the microbus driver, died on the spot.
Woman, nephew die as bus hits them in Dhaka's Pallabi
On information, locals, Madhabpur Fire Service, Shayestaganj Highway and Madhabpur Police rushed to the spot and conducted rescue operations.
Rakibul Islam Khan, officer-in-charge of Madhabpur Police Station, confirmed the matter.
The bodies are in the custody of Shayestaganj Highway Police Station, he added.
Woman, nephew die as bus hits them in Dhaka's Pallabi
A woman and her nephew died when a bus hit them in front of the Purobi Cinema Hall at the Pallabi area in Dhaka's Mirpur on Tuesday night.
The deceased were identified as Khairun Begum, 36, and her four-year-old nephew Yasin. Khairun Begum, originally from Bhola Sadar, was a garment worker and lived in the Pallabi area.
The incident happened around 9pm when a Basumati Paribahan bus hit them while crossing the road, leaving them injured, said Apurva Hasan, officer-in-charge of Pallabi Police Station.
‘Very severe heat wave’ grips 7 districts, says BMD
Locals rushed them to a nearby hospital. Later, they were taken to the National Institute of Neurosciences and Hospital after their condition deteriorated.
They died while undergoing treatment there, added the OC.
Police apprehended the bus driver, said the officer, adding that the bodies were sent to Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College morgue for autopsies.
Teenager dies in elephant attack in Ctg
An 18-year-old boy died after being attacked by a wild elephant in Banshkhali upazila of the district early Wednesday, a local representative said.
The incident took place around 2am at a litchi orchard near Godarpar in Bailchari union of the upazila.
The deceased was identified as Sibgatullah Rizvi, son of late Taib Ullah of Kulinpara area of the same union.
Kofil Uddin, chairman of Bailchari Union Parishad, said an elephant entered the locality in the hilly area of East Bailchari.
Rizvi went to see the elephant in the litchi orchard and suffered serious injuries after being attacked by the elephant.
Locals rescued him and took him to Banshkhali Gunagari Mother and Child General Hospital.
Later, he was referred to Chittagong Medical College and Hospital.
He succumbed to his injuries while being taken to the hospital, added the UP chairman.
Tiger found dead in Sundarbans
The Forest Department recovered a floating carcass of a Bengal Tiger from Andharia canal under Dacope upazila in the Sundarbans on Tuesday.
Forest department workers recovered the carcass and brought it to the Karamajl wildlife breeding centre, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Sundarban East Division Kazi Muhammad Nurul Karim confirmed.
Later, in the presence of the Forest Department and Dacope Upazila Administration, the Livestock Department conducted the post-mortem of the tiger, he added.
The teeth and bones of the tiger, 3 feet in height, 7.8" feet in length and aged around 11, have been preserved after the autopsy, said Azad Kabir, officer-in-charge of Karamjal Wildlife Breeding Center of Sundarban East Division.
Besides, various evidences including tiger saliva, skin, liver, blood have also been preserved for testing in the forensic lab.
According to the Forest Department, the tiger might have died from heatstroke sweeper over the country.
However, the exact cause of the tiger's death would be known after getting the autopsy report.
Earlier on February 12, the Forest Department recovered the body of a tiger from the Tiger Point canal area of Sundarbans.
According to the Forest Department, a total of 42 tigers have died of various causes in the world’s largest mangrove forest since 2001.
Of them, 26 tigers died in the eastern division and 16 tigers in the western division.
According to the latest census of 2018, the number of tigers in the Bangladesh part of the Sundarbans is 114.
At present, tiger counting through camera trapping is in progress to find the number of tigers in the Sundarbans.
Miscreants gun down Awami League leader in Natore
A municipality-level leader of the ruling Awami League was gunned down by miscreants in Gopalpur municipality under Lalpur upazila of Natore Tuesday night.
The deceased was identified as Md Manjur Rahman Manju, 45, vice president of the municipality unit of the AL and son of Abdul Mannan of Bahadipur village under the upazila.
Lalpur police station’s Officer-in-Charge Nasim Ahmed confirmed the matter saying that four to five miscreants riding on motorbikes stopped in front of a shop in Azimpur Rail Station and fired in the head and stomach of Manjur around 11pm, leaving him killed on the spot.
On information, police rushed to the spot and recovered the body, he said, adding that they have already launched a drive to arrest the killers.
The body would be sent to Sadar hospital morgue on Wednesday morning, the OC added.
Fire guts 12 shops in Chandpur; 10 hurt
At least twelve shops were gutted in a major fire that broke out at a market in Chandpur's Sadar upazila in the small hours of Wednesday.
At least 10 people suffered minor injuries while trying to tame the blaze.
The identities of the injured could not be known immediately.
Locals said the fire broke out at a shop in Baghra Bazar of Bagadi Union of the Upazila around 2:45am and it soon engulfed the adjoining shops.
On information, four fire tenders were pressed into service and it took them nearly two hours to bring the flames under control, Chandpur Fire Service and Civil Defense Office Deputy Director Syed Morshed Hossain said.
Fire officials suspect an electrical short-circuit at a shop has triggered the fire.
However, the exact cause of the fire and amount of loss could not be ascertained immediately, he said.
Kalurghat Bridge struck by lighter vessel carried by strong current in Karnaphuli
A lighter vessel coming from a dockyard due to strong current got stuck with the almost century-old Kalurghat Bridge over Karnaphuli River after hitting it in Chattogram on Tuesday afternoon.
Witnesses said the vessel ‘MV Samuda’ was swept away by the strong current from AK Khan Dockyard on the west side of the Karnaphuli River and hit the bridge and got stuck.
On information, Eastern Railway’s engineer Jisan Dutta and the contractor organization engaged in the repair of the bridge visited the spot.
Jisan said, “We are inspecting the matter. Then we can tell what kind of damage has been done.”
He also said they would talk to the ship's authorities.
20 Bangladeshis returned by India after serving sentences for intrusion
Twenty Bangladeshis returned home from India through the Benapole check post on Tuesday evening, handed over after serving sentences in the Indian prison system.
Among the returnees, there are six women and fourteen children. Indian Immigration Police handed them over to the Benapole Immigration Police.
At the time of their return, representatives of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and Border Security Force (BSF) were present at the No Man's Land.
These returning women and children hail from various districts including Khulna, Bagerhat, Satkhira, Dhaka, Keraniganj, Pirojpur, Comilla, Gazipur, Chandpur, and Gopalganj.
They were repatriated as part of joint efforts by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the task force formed in West Bengal to prevent trafficking of women and children.
A delegation from the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission in Kolkata, including a representative from the women and child affairs department, handed over the returning women and children .
The Officer-in-Charge (OC) of the Immigration Police at the Benapole check post, Kamruzzaman, said that lured by the promise of good work, they fell into the trap of brokers and were sent to Kolkata.
While working there, Kolkata Police arrested them and sent them to court. After serving their sentences, they were kept in safe homes in various districts of West Bengal.
After discussions between high-level officials of both countries, they were sent back through travel permits. After the formalities of immigration were completed, they were handed over to the Benapole Port Police Station.