Rangamati
Two traders killed in Rangamati road crash
Two traders were killed when their vehicle skidded off the road and plunged into a ditch in the Nangolmara area of Baghaichhari upazila on Wednesday.
The deceased were identified as Elias Ali, 45, of Korengatoli, and Ananta Tripura, 40, of the Sajek Machalong area of the upazila.
Read:College student killed in Narayanganj road accident
The accident occurred in the morning when the vehicle carrying bananas turned turtle and then skidded off the road before plunging into the ditch along Baghaihat-Sajek Road.
"The crash that happened after the driver lost control of the speeding vehicle left the two traders dead on the spot," said Nurul Haque, officer-in-charge of Sajek Police Station.
The driver of the vehicle managed to flee the scene, he said. "Efforts are on to nab him."
Fishing resumes in Kaptai Lake Wednesday after 108-day ban
Fishing in Rangamati's Kaptai Lake will resume Wednesday midnight at the end of a ban of more than three months, 108 days, imposed by the local administration to boost fish production.
The decision was taken at a meeting presided over by Deputy Commissioner (DC) Mohammad Mizanur Rahman Wednesday.
Bangladesh Fisheries Development Corporation (BFDC) Manager Lieutenant Commander M Touhidul Islam said: "We usually impose a three-month ban on fishing in Kaptai Lake from May 1 to July 31.
All kinds of netting, marketing, preserving, drying and transporting of fish from the lake are banned during the period to allow the fish population to thrive.
This year's three-month ban on netting, marketing and transportation of fish from Kaptai Lake had to be extended till August 16 to help breed and rejuvenate fish stocks as the water level in the freshwater lake did not rise enough.
However, the water in the lake is now slowly rising, Touhidul said.
According to BFDC around 7,672 tonnes of fish were caught in the fiscal year (FY) 2015-16, 7,981 tonnes in FY17, 8,123 tonnes in FY18, 8,423 tonnes in FY19 and 8,549 tonnes in FY20, and 8,000 tonnes in FY21 from Kaptai Lake. Around 22,000 fishermen are dependent on the lake.
Alsor read: Kaptai Lake: An artificial lake surrounded by natural beauty
Tourist drowns in Kaptai Lake
A 26-year old tourist drowned in Rangamati’s Kaptai Lake Saturday.
The deceased was identified as Rubayet Islam, a resident of Pahartali area in Chattogram city.
A diving team of fire service fished out his body at 5:36 pm, said Md Billal Hossain, station officer of Rangamati Fire Service and Civil Defence.
Also read: Two boys drown in Kapotaksha river in Jhenaidah
Rubayet went on a sightseeing tour at Kaptai Lake by a boat with his three friends Saturday noon.
He drowned around 2:30 pm near Darogar Pahar area in Rangamati sadar upazila while taking bath, said, Md Kabir Hossain, officer-in-Charge of Kotwali police station.
His body was sent for an autopsy, said the OC.
Also read: School teacher drowns while crossing river in Thakurgaon
Malaria grips Jurachari, 388 cases in two months, say docs
Malaria has gripped an inaccessible hilly upazila of Rangamati district.
Jurachari upazila has seen as many as 388 cases of the vector-borne disease in the past two months, a sudden spurt that has put the local health authorities on high alert.
Caused by Plasmodium parasites, malaria affects over 200 million people worldwide annually. This is according to the World Health Organization.
According to the Jurachari upazila health complex authorities, some 265 people were infected with malaria in July. The figure was 123 in June.
Most of the victims were from the inaccessible Moidang and Dumdumya union parishads.
Read: Geoengineering can put 1 billion people back at risk of Malaria: Icddr’b study
Ward members of Dumdumya union, Laxmi Lal Chakma and Kala Cokha Tanchainga, told UNB, “Every week, at least 7-8 cases of malaria are reported from here."
According to doctors, June and July usually see a spurt in malaria cases in the hilly region. "The situation may prevail till October,” said Dr Ananya Chakma, upazila health and family planning officer.
Samur Pangkhoa, headman of Dumdmya mouza, said, “In the last two years, malaria cases were low. However, this year, we are witnessing a rise in the cases."
Amar Shanti Chakma of Bagakhali Community Clinic, also said that the number of malaria cases are on the rise.
However, Dr Ananya allayed fears. "Even if malaria cases are increasing, there is no need to panic. We have adequate stock of medicines at the upazila health complex and community clinics."
Army man killed in Rangamati road crash
An army personnel has been killed as his motorcycle overturned on Sajek-Baghaihat road in Baghachari upazila of Rangamati, said police.
The deceased was identified as Lance Corporal Abdul Halim of Bangladesh Army. He was posted under Chattogram Cantonment.
Read:Couple among three killed in Cumilla road accident
The accident occurred at Chapatali Sunday afternoon as Halim’s motorcycle overturned while giving side to a Jeep on the slippery road on his way back from a trip to the tourist area, leaving him seriously injured, said Abdul Awal, superintendent of Baghaichari police circle.
He was rushed to Khagrachhari Army MDS where doctors declared him dead, he added
He came here on vacation, he said.
Indigenous man’s body recovered from Rangamati
Police have recovered the body of an indigenous man from Rangamati's Rajsthali upazila on Saturday.
The deceased was identified as Abhishek Chakma (35).
According to local sources, there was a gunfight between two armed activists of Marma National Party (Mog Party) and Chattogram Jana Sanghati Samiti (JSS) at Ogaripara of Gaindya union under Rajsthali upazila on Friday night.
Also read: 2 indigenous men drown in Rangamati
Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Rajasthan Police Station Zakir Hossain said that the gunfight occurred in a remote hilly area 6 km off the upazila headquarters on Friday night.
The body of Abhishek, wearing olive-colored uniform, was recovered Saturday morning.
Also read: Diarrhoea outbreak grips Rangamati
The body was sent to Rangamati General Hospital for an autopsy, he said.
2 indigenous men drown in Rangamati
The bodies of two indigenous men were recovered from the Kachalong river in Baghaichhari upazila of Rangamati district on Thursday morning, a day after they drowned in the river.
The deceased were identified as Shukar Chakma, 32, and Chirojyoti Chakma, 42, of the upazila.
Read:Flash flood submerges fresh areas in Sherpur; Child drowns
Locals said the duo drowned while fishing in the river on Wednesday. The divers of fire service failed to rescue them after conducting an operation.
Some residents of Rupkari union spotted Shukar’s body near Bijoy ghat area and Chirojyoti’s body in Golachhari area around 6am today, said Baghaichhari Upazila Nirbahi Officer Rumana Akhter.
The bodies were handed over to their respective families after completing legal procedures, she added.
Diarrhoea outbreak grips Rangamati
A school student died and another about 70 people had been afflicted with diarrhoea in Jurachhari upazila in Rangamati district in last two days, health officials said on Sunday.
Rangabi Chakma, a class two student of Amtala village was reported to have died from diarrhoea on Friday, said Ananya Chakma, health officer of Jurachhari Upazila Health Complex.
Authorities at Jurachhari Health Complex rushed a five-member medical team to provide medical treatment to the diarrhoea patients in the affected villages, some of them in remote hills.
Also read: Diarrhoea breaks out in flood-hit Sylhet
Ten patients from the hilly Amtala village under the Moidang union of the upazila were sent to Rangamati upazila health complex on Friday.
Indigenous man shot dead in Rangamati
A 45-year-old indigenous man was shot dead by some armed miscreants at Langdu and Barakal border areas of Rangamati early Thursday.
The deceased was identified as Lakshmi Kumar Chakma, a resident of Subalang area of Barakal upazila. He was a former member of the regional party United People's Democratic Front (UPDF).
Also read:2 killed in JSS-UPDF gunfight in Rangamati
Nasir Uddin, officer-in-charge (OC) of Barakal police station, said some gunmen opened fire at Lakshmi near his home in Shilchhari area around 1:45am, leaving him dead and fled the scene immediately.
Lakshmi recently left UPDF and used to earn his bread by farming, said locals.
Also read: UPDF chief collector held with arms in Khagrachari
However, the OC said the motive behind the killing can be ascertained after an investigation.
1 tourist drowns, another missing in Karnaphuli River
A tourist drowned and another went missing in the Karnaphuli River of Rangamati on Wednesday.
The deceased was identified as 19-year-old Lokesh Vaidya, son of Apu Vaidya of Shakpura village in Boalkhali upazila of Chattogram district. He was a first-year-student of Chattogram Islamia College.
The missing tourist was his friend Apurba Saha, 18, resident of Chattogram Sadarghat area.
The Navy diving team based in Kaptai recovered the body of Lokesh after a two-hour effort in the evening. Efforts are on to recover Apurba’s body, said Navy sources.
According to the deceased’s friends, around 3 pm, six friends went down to take a bath in the Karnaphuli and started drowning due to the river’s strong current.
Fighting against the current, three of them managed to swim ashore and another was rescued by Fire Service members, two friends went missing.
On information, a four-member naval diving team led by Lt. Commander Faizul Islam Mandal and Lt. Commander Selim Reza started searching for the missing tourist in the Sita Ghat area at 4:39 pm and recovered Lokesh’s body. Apurba however couldn't be found till filing of this report past midnight.
Nurul Karim, an inspector at the Kaptai Fire Service and Civil Defense said that the diving team is conducting rescue operations in and around the scene to recover the body of the missing youth.
Also read: 2 children drown in Thakurgaon pond