At least five people drowned as a boat capsized in Kauljani River in Tangail’s Basail Upazila on Friday afternoon. 

Rubel Mia, a member of Kauljani Union Parishad, said the incident took place around 4 pm when the boatman came in touch of a live wire in mid-river in Gilabari area and got electrocuted.

At one stage, the passengers on board got panicked and began moving in a haphazard way that resulted in the capsize. 

“Five bodies have so far retrieved from the spot,” he said, adding that it is unclear how many passengers were on board. 

Shafiqul Islam, a fire-man of Fire Service and Civil Defence’s Basail station, said on information, they sent divers to the spot. 

The deceased were identified as Taij Uddin, 50, the boatman; Jamela Begum, 60, wife of Miju Mia; Himidur Rahmna Rono, 35, her son; Shah Alom, 25, son of Haidar Ali, and another 32-year-old woman. 

In keeping with Saudi Arabia, residents of a number of villages in Jhenaidah, Laxmipur and Lalmonirhat are celebrating the Eid-ul-Azha, the second largest festival of the Muslims.

Saudi Arabia and a number of countries across the world are celebrating the festival of sacrifice on Friday.

Bangladesh is scheduled to celebrate Eid on Saturday.

In Lalmonirhat, several hundred people of seven villages including Tushbhandar, Sundrahabi, Kakina, Chaparhat, Chandrapur, Aminganj and Munshipara in Kaliganj upazila started the Eid celebration.

The main congregation was held at Munshipara Jam-e Mosque at 9am. Maulana Maidul Islam conducted the congregation with a small number of Muslim devotees due to rain there.

Maidul said they offered their Eid jamaat following the government's directives and maintaining health hygene.

Maulana Masum Billah, president of Munshipara Eidgah maidan, said the people of seven villages have been celebrating their Eid-ul-fitr, Eid-ul-Azha and Shab-e-Qadr with Saudi Arabia for a long time.

In Jhenaidah, several hundred people of a number of villages in Harinakundu upazila are celebrating Eid. The villages include Chilthipara, Bhalki, Boithapara and Falsi of the upazila.

In Laxmipur, residents of 11 villages of Ramganj, Raipur and Sadar upazilas also joined the celebration. The 11 villages are—Noagaon, Joypura, Bigha, Barogharia, Hatotia, Sharshoi, Kanchanpur in Ramganj upazila, Kalakopa in Raipur upazila and Bashikpur vilalge in Sadar upazila.

The villagers have been celebrating the two Eids with Saudi Arabia for the last 39 years.

Three suspected yaba peddlers were killed in a reported gunfight with police on Dhaka-Cox’s Bazar Highway at Amtoli Garjan orchard in Chakaria upazila early Friday.

The identities of the deceased could not be known yet.

Habibur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Chakaria Police Station, said they arrested two drug traders — Zaheda Begum and Mozaffar Ahmed — along with 6,000 Yaba pills from Boroitoli on Thursday night.

After primary interrogation, police learned that a big consignment of Yaba would be traded at night in Banaiarchara hill area.

A team of police conducted a drive in the area around 5am. But as soon as the criminals noticed police presence, they opened fire and triggered a skirmish.

Three criminals sustained bullet injuries during the gunfight while the others managed to flee.

Later, they were taken to Chakaria Health Complex where the doctors declared them dead.

Police say they recovered 44,000 pieces of Yaba pills, two firearms, seven bullets and 15 bullet shells from the spot.

Eleven people, including four members of a family, were killed and 10 others injured in separate road crashes in Sylhet, Habiganj and Gaibandha districts on Friday.

In Sylhet, five people, including four members of a family, were killed and another injured after a bus hit a private car on Dhaka-Sylhet Highway at Boraya Chanpur in Osmaninagar upazila.

The deceased were identified as Swapan Kumar Das, his wife Lovely Rani Das and their two children — Saj and Sajon of Dirai upazila in Sunamganj and private car driver Hashem.

They were going to their village home.

Another child of the couple Sourav was injured in the accident and was undergoing treatment at Sylhet Osmani Medical College Hospital.

The accident took place around 5:30am when a Cumilla-bound bus of ‘Cumilla Transport’ hit the Sylhet-bound private car. Five people died on the spot and one was injured, said Mainul Islam, officer-in-charge of Sylhet Highway Police.

On information, a firefighting unit went to the spot and recovered the bodies and sent those to local hospital morgue. Police also seized the bus.

In Gaibandha, three people were killed and six others were injured in a head-on collision between a covered van and private car on Dhaka-Rangpur Highway at Nundah Bridge point in Gobindaganj upazila.

The deceased were identified as Shahed Mia, 40, Kajal Mia, 32, of Pirganj upazila and Shakil Islam, 56, of Gangachara upazila of Rangpur.

Enamul Haque, deputy director of Gaibandha Fire Service and Civil Defense, said the accident took place in the morning when the covered-van loaded with tiles hit the private car, leaving three people dead on the spot and six others injured. All the victims were passengers of the covered-van.

In Habiganj, three people including two garments workers were killed and three others injured when a bus rammed a private car on Dhaka-Sylhet highway at Abdanarayan in Bahubal upazila in the morning.

Two of the deceased were identified as Shahida, 35, Maleka, 22 of Bishwambhorpur village in Sunamganj district while the identity of another one could not be known immediately.

Toufiqul Islam Toufiq, officer-in-charge of Shayestaganj Highway Police Station, said the Monohardi-bound bus hit the private car carrying six people around 6 am, leaving three dead on the spot and three others injured.

The injured were taken to Osmani Medical College and Hospital.

Three members of a family were killed after a private car crashed into the railing of a railway flyover on Dhaka-Khulna highway in Kashiani upazila on Thursday morning.

The deceased were identified as Jiaul Haque, 55, his son Embadul Haque, 25, of Dighalia in Khulna and his brother –in-law  Sajjad Molla, 35 of Narail.

Confirming their identities, Md Ataur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Bhanga Highway Police Station, said three of them were killed on the spot at around 4am while two others injured.

The accident occurred when Singapore expatriate Emdadul Haque was going home with his father and sister’s husband by a rented private car from  Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, OC added.

The injured were taken to Gopalganj General Hospital, the OC said adding that the bodies were handed over to their relatives.