United News of Bangladesh

Divers from the Bangladesh Inland and Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) recovered the bodies of two workers from a dredger that sank in the Meghna River on Saturday night. The recovery took place in the Sadar upazila of Bhola district on Tuesday. The deceased have been identified as Nure Alam and Md Siam, both residents of Bagharhat village in the upazila. Ferry sank as bulkhead hit it, says state minister for Shipping Bidyut Barua, officer-in-charge of Bhola Ilisha River Police Station, said that the dredger, named 'Afsana,' sank after being hit by a lighter vessel. The dredger, which had five people on board, went down in the Meghna River on Saturday night, leaving all five workers missing. Local Fire Service, River Police, and the Coast Guard located the sunken dredger on Monday afternoon. Following this, divers from BIWTA in Barishal conducted a rescue operation, recovering the bodies of two workers on Tuesday morning. About 350 Pakistanis were on migrant boat that sank off Greece and many may have died, official says Three workers, identified as Ariful Islam (21), Harun-or-Rashid (40), and Md Tanjil (21), are still missing as of 3 pm on Tuesday. Efforts to salvage the sunken dredger continue.

A 30-year-old man died from electrocution in Sharsha upazila of Jashore on Tuesday morning. The deceased was identified as Habibur Rahman Habib, son of Jihad Ali from Chotkapota of the upazila. He had returned from Malaysia four months ago. Sheikh Moniruzzaman, officer-in-charge of Sharsha Police Station, confirmed the matter. 5 die from electrocution, 25 injured during Rath Yatra in Bogura According to locals, Habibur was electrocuted while attempting to tie an electric wire to the mouth of a pipe connected to an irrigation pump in a field. His wife witnessed the incident and screamed for help. Locals rushed to the scene and took him to the Upazila Health Complex, where the on-duty doctor declared him dead. As there were no complaints from the family, the body was handed over to them without an autopsy, added the OC.

Four people died and seven others were injured after a bus collided head-on with a covered van in the Banani area of Bogura early Tuesday. The incident happened around 4 am on Tuesday when a night coach of Shah Fateh Ali Paribahan, travelling from Dhaka to Naogaon, collided with the covered van coming from the opposite direction. Three of the deceased were identified as Jamal Hossain and Shamim Hossain from Sirajganj's Kazipur upazila, Hridoy from Barishal's Hizla upazila. The identity of the fourth deceased, a woman, could not be confirmed. 5 die from electrocution, 25 injured during Rath Yatra in Bogura Inspector Miladunnabi, in charge of the police outpost at Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College Hospital, confirmed the matter. He said Hridoy, the driver of the covered van, and the unidentified woman died on the spot. Shamim succumbed to his injuries on the way to the hospital, and Jamal passed away while receiving treatment. The bodies were sent to the hospital morgue for autopsy, said the police official. Among the seven injured, one person was released after receiving primary treatment, he added. 

The Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and equivalent exams in Sylhet division, previously suspended due to flooding, are set to begin on Tuesday amidst the ongoing flood. While the flood situation has slightly improved, students and parents remain anxious. Many families reported difficulties in studying as water entered their homes, raising concerns about the exam outcomes. Several exam centres, including Sylhet's Dakshin Surma Government College and Balaganj DN High School, are still submerged as of Monday. Authorities assured that while water surrounds the South Surma College exam centres, the examination halls remain unaffected and ready for use. Due to flooding at Balaganj DN High School, exams will now be conducted at Balaganj Government College instead. Earlier, the Inter-Education Board Coordination Committee had postponed the HSC and equivalent exams for Sylhet Division until July 8 due to the floods. The first day of exams in the Sylhet division will cover the Information and Communication Technology subject. Matiur Rahman, acting principal of South Surma Government College, said water remains at the college entrance but noted measures, such as sandbags, have been implemented for candidates' convenience.Professor Arun Chandra Paul, exam controller of Sylhet Education Board, said, "While there is water around some exam centres, there is no water inside, ensuring readiness for the exams to proceed on Tuesday." Meanwhile, Sylhet Metropolitan Police have restricted public access within 200 yards of the HSC examination centres in the city to ensure student security and convenience. Furthermore, a press release from Sylhet Metropolitan Police Commissioner Md Zakir Hossain Khan declared a ban on all public gatherings and processions around the 28 examination centres in the city and suburbs.As of Monday at 6: 00 pm, the Surma River was reported to be flowing above the danger level at one point and the Kushiara River at two points, according to the Sylhet Water Development Board.

Construction workers unearthed grenade-like objects from an earthen jar during the construction of a house in Jorpukur, Sadar upazila, on Monday. According to Syed Rafiul Karim, officer-in-charge of Sadar Police Station, Abul Kashem of Kapasia upazila had purchased a 3.5-katha plot in the Dakkhin Chayabithi area and was preparing to build a house there. On Monday morning, as the construction began, workers discovered several grenade-like objects buried in an earthen jar under the soil. Upon receiving the information, police immediately rushed to the scene and evacuated the area to ensure safety. A bomb disposal unit from Dhaka arrived shortly after and is currently examining the objects to determine their nature and potential threat.  

A serious accident was narrowly avoided earlier today when a bus overturned in South Surma upazila of Sylhet district, with all 25 passengers escaping without major injuries. The incident occurred around 5:30 am in front of the APBn office 7 in the Lalabazar area on the Dhaka-Sylhet highway. The Sylhet-bound bus from Dhaka lost control and fell into a pond, according to ASI Mohammad Pabel, media officer of APBn-7.

The iron rod on the top of Rath (chariot) might have touched 11000 volt electric wire when the procession was moving towards Shib temple in Latifpur area, said executive engineer of selling and distribution department-1 of Northern Electricity Supply Company (Nesco) Abdul Mannaf. Electrocution during Rath Yatra ((a Hindu religious festival) left five dead and around 40 injured in Bogura’s Seujgari Amtola intersection on Sunday.A fire broke out after the iron rod placed on the top of the chariot came in contact with the live electric wire and around 50 people, most of them women, fell down on the road from the chariot, said witnesses.Arup Ratan Sheel, a local journalist who participated in the Rath Yatra, said, “Those who were involved in dragging the chariot by holding rope, were alerted by the president of Iskcon committee, Bogura, Kharjita Krishna Das about the high voltage electric wire over the road through loudspeaker. The sounds of the loudspeaker remained unheard due to the huge crowd there.” Rath Yatra: 5-member body formed over deaths of five from electrocution in BoguraExecutive Engineer of Nesco Abdul Mannaf, said as soon as they heard about the electrocution around 5:30 am they suspended the power supply in the area.Asking about why the power cables were kept necked over the road, Mannaf said the electric cables of 11000 voltage are kept open across the country and it’s not only in Bogura.Bogura Deputy Commissioner Saiful Islam said the local administration has provided Tk 25,000 each to the family members of the deceased for cremation while necessary steps were taken for medical treatment of the victims injured in the incident.Dr Abdul Wadud, deputy director of Bogura Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College and Hospital, said four people died at the hospital while 38 were undergoing treatment. Of them, two were receiving treatment at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the hospital.Besides, one died at 250-bed Mohammad Ali Hospital while three people were undergoing treatment there. 5 die from electrocution, 25 injured during Rath Yatra in BoguraA five member committee has been formed to investigate the the incident.  

Twin brothers drowned in a pond in West ChakhBhabani village of Khelna Union of Dhamoirhat Upazila of Naogaon on Sunday. The deceased children were 3 years old Laxman and Ram, twin children of Sujeet Oraon of the village. Khelna Union Parishad Chairman Md. Al Hil Mahmud Chowdhury confirmed the incident. Local UP member Abu Salam said the two boys drowned while playing near the pond in front of their house. After a frantic search, locals found their bodies floating in the water. The untimely death of the twins cast a pall of grief over their family and the entire community. Md. Bahuddin Farooqi, Officer-in-Charge (OC)of Dhamoirhat Police Station, said police went to the spot after receiving the ionformation. As there were no complaints from the family, the children's bodies were handed over to their relatives for burial and an Unnatural Death (UD) case was filed at Dhamoirhat police station ,he added.

Five people died from electrocution and 25 others sustained injuries during Rath Yatra ( a Hindu religious festival) in Seujgari Amtoli intersection of Bogura district town on Sunday. Four of the deceased were identified as Alok Sarkar, 40, Atoshi Rani, 40, Naresh Mohonta, 65 and Ranjita Mohonta, 60 while the identity of another woman could not be known immediately. Saihan Waliullah, Officer-in-Charge  of Bogura Sadar Police station, said the Rah Yatra procession was brought out from Iskcon Temple around 5 pm and when they reached Seujgari Amtala intersection, a fire broke out on the top of the Rath as it came in contact with a live  electric wire. Five people who sat on the top of Rath got electrocuted while 25 others were also injured. Later, they were taken to Bogura Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College and Hospital and Bogura Mohammad Ali Hospital where the five people were declared dead.

The authorities have started the distribution of relief materials as the flood situation in Sirajganj remains unchanged. Sirajganj-2 lawmaker Dr Jannat Ara Henry distributed relief items in different places of Sadar upazila on Sunday. Besides, relief materials are being distributed in other places under the supervision of the district administration. District relief and rehabilitation officer Md Aktaruzzaman said around 83,152 people of 34 unions of the 5 upazilas on the bank of Jamuna River have been stranded due to the flood. "Some 95 metric tons of rice, and Tk 5 lakh cash have been allocated to mitigate the suffering of flood-hit people and the distribution of relief materials has already started," he informed. "Necessary measures have been taken to deal with the flood situation," added the officer. However, locals alleged that erosion is taking a terrible shape due to a lack of timely action. An official of the local Water Development Board said work has already started to prevent erosion in various places. According to the sources, the water level of the Jamuna River was rising rapidly due to the onrush of upstream water for about a week and it was flowing above the red mark. As a result, low-lying areas of Belkuchi, Shahzadpur, Chouhali, Kazipur and Sirajganj Sadar upazilas were flooded, causing immense suffering to the residents.