deaths
2 die as truck hits autorickshaw in Kushtia
Two people, including a woman, died and two others injured after a stone-laden dump truck collided with a CNG-run autorickshaw in Kushtia’s Mirpur upazila.
The accident happened at a place called Ranakharia Ghoramara on the Kushtia-Ishurdi highway around 8:30 am on Friday, said Kushtia Chowrhash Highway Police Station Officer-in-Charge Syed Al Mamun.
5 die as truck hits auto-rickshaw in Jamalpur
One of the deceased were identified as Tania Akhter (30), a passenger in the autorickshaw. The identity of the autorickshaw driver is still unknown. The injured passengers, who were also travelling in the autorickshaw, were rushed to the Kushtia General Hospital for treatment.
According to police and eyewitnesses, the autorickshaw was heading from Kushtia towards Bheramara upazila when the collision occurred. The dump truck, coming from the opposite direction, lost control after its tire burst, crashing into the autorickshaw. The impact caused the vehicle to crumple, resulting in the immediate deaths of the driver and one passenger. Two other passengers were critically injured and taken to the hospital by locals who witnessed the accident.
140 people die in fire incidents in 2024: FSCD
The bodies have been recovered and sent to the hospital morgue. The driver and helper of the truck fled, leaving the truck behind. The dump truck is in police custody, the OC added.
1 week ago
2 motorcyclists die as train hits them in Gazipur
Two motorcyclists have died after their bike collided with a train in Gazipur.
The incident accident happened around 9:45 pm on Thursday at the railway crossing near the Ambagh Khulapara area of Gazipur city, on the Dhaka-Rajshahi rail line, said Sub-inspector Nadir Uzuzzaman of Joydebpur Railway Junction Police Outpost.
2 die in separate Natore road accidents
The deceased, identified as Hafizur Rahman Ripon (45) and Mahmudul Hasan Chanchal (38), were from the Harinachala Housing area of Konabari Police Station.
Hafizur was a jute trader, while Mahmudul worked at a hospital. According to locals, the two were riding from Konabari to Sakashwar in the Kaliakair upazila when their motorcycle was struck by a train travelling towards Dhaka at the crossing. Both men died at the scene.
Lineman dies falling from ladder in Shahbagh
A police team recovered the bodies. Following the family's request, the bodies were handed over to the relatives without undergoing an autopsy, said the SI.
2 weeks ago
2 die in separate Natore road accidents
Two people died, at least 10 others injured in separate road accidents in Natore’s Gurudaspur upazila on Friday.
The first accident occurred at around 6:30 am on the Bonpara-Hatikumrul toll road in the Noyabazar area when two trucks collided head-on, resulting in the death of Shahin Alam (27), a fruit trader from Ullapara, Sirajganj, who was in one of the trucks. Three other individuals were injured in the crash, said Ismail Hossain, officer-in-charge of Bonpara Highway Police Station.
Lineman dies falling from ladder in Shahbagh
While emergency teams were responding, a passenger bus arriving at the accident site lost control and overturned. At least seven passengers were injured in the incident. Fire service personnel rescued the victims, transporting them to the local government hospital and clinic for treatment, he said.
In another accident, a person died in the nearby Kachikata area after being hit by an unidentified vehicle. The identity of the deceased is yet to be known, the OC said.
Two college students die in Sylhet road accident
2 weeks ago
3 killed as bus hits motorbike in Chattogram
Three people were killed when a bus rammed into a motorbike in Mirsarai upazila of Chattogram district on Friday, police said.
The deceased were identified as Rubel Barua, 40, a local activist of BNP and son of Shyabhoranjan Barua, Nippu Barua, 43, son of Meghal Barua and Sani Barua, 37, son of Suresh Barua of Mayani Barua Para in Mirsarai upazila.
3 motorbike riders killed in Gopalganj road crash
Quoting local people, Atik Majum, officer-in-charge of Mirsarai Police Station, said the accident occurred at around 4 am on Sufia road when the speeding bus hit the motorbike carrying three people. The victims were returning home after having breakfast at a hotel. The three died on the spot.
Child killed, 100 houses gutted in a Rohingya camp fire
Police later recovered the bodies.
3 weeks ago
Dengue: 8 more die; 1108 hospitalised in 24hrs
Eight more deaths were reported from dengue in 24 hours till Tuesday morning, raising the number of fatalities from the mosquito-borne disease in Bangladesh to 223 this year.
During the period, 1, 108 more patients were hospitalised with viral fever, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
Of them, 164 dengue patients were admitted in hospital under Dhaka North City Corporation while 174 were hospitalized in Dhaka South City Corporation.
Read: Dengue: One more death reported in 24hrs
Some 3,680 patients are receiving treatment in different hospitals across the country.
A total of 44, 764 dengue cases have been reported since January 1, 2024.
Last year, 1,705 people lost their lives due to dengue, making it the deadliest year on record.
The DGHS recorded 321,179 dengue cases and 3, 18,749 recoveries last year.
3 months ago
Three more die of dengue; 1,033 hospitalised
Three more deaths were reported from dengue in 24 hours till Wednesday morning, raising the number of fatalities from the mosquito-borne disease in Bangladesh to 196 this year.
During the period, 1,033 more patients were hospitalised with viral fever, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
Dengue: Sharp spike in September sees this year's deaths double in a month
Of them, 263 dengue patients were admitted in hospital under Dhaka North City Corporation while 164 were hospitalized in Dhaka South City Corporation.
Some 3,475 patients are receiving treatment in different hospitals across the country.
Sharp rise in dengue cases puts strains on country’s fragile healthcare system
A total of 39,822 dengue cases have been reported since January 1, 2024.
Last year, 1,705 people lost their lives due to dengue, making it the deadliest year on record, with 321,179 cases recorded.
4 months ago
579 people killed in motorcycle accidents in 3 months: SCRF
Around 1,484 people were killed and 2,485 others injured in 1,302 road crashes across Bangladesh in last three till March 31 in 2023.
It means, 16 (16.48) people died on average per day during the period.
During the period the number of accidents involving motorcycles was the highest.
Some 579 people died in 527 motorcycle accidents which are 40.47 and 39.01 percent of total fatalities and accidents respectively, according to a report of Shipping and Communication Reporters Forum (SCRF) released on Sunday (April 09, 2023).
Read: 2 teens on motorcycle killed in Cumilla road accident
According to the organization, the report has been prepared based on the information published in 12 Bengali national dailies, five English national dailies, nine online news portals and news agencies and six regional dailies.
In the report, the SCRF has recommended maintaining the ban on motorcycle movement on the Padma Bridge and banning his vehicle on all highways during Eid travel to avoid accidents.
The report said that maximum 479 accidents occurred in March where 584 people lost lives and 1,102 injured.
Lowest 392 accidents resulted in 411 fatalities and 1,102 injuries respectively in February. Besides, 489 people died in 431 road accidents in January.
Read: Student killed in bike accident in Dhaka
In these three months, maximum 421 accidents occurred on highways which is 32.33 percent of total accidents. Besides, 327 accident occurred on regional roads which is 25.11 percent.
SCRF identified 16 causes of road crashes in the report.
Unfit vehicles, unskilled and physically unfit drivers, reckless driving, overtaking, drivers and helpers’ mental exhaustion, non-fixed weekly holiday and working hours. dilapidated roads at different places significant number of risky turning points on national highways and inter-district roads, movement of slow speed three wheelers on highways, lack of capacity of BRTA and the irregularities and corruption of officials and employees concerned and poor traffic management are among those reasons.
Read more: Two ninth-graders killed on Sylhet-Tamabil highway as motorcycles collide
1 year ago
3 dead as bus collides with pick-up van in Cox's Bazar
Three people were dead and six were injured in a head-on collision between a bus and a pickup van at Aziznagar in Cox's Bazar's Chakaria this morning.
The incident happened around 8:30 am at the Aziznagar-12 bridge area on the Chattogram-Cox's Bazar highway, said Khokon Rudra, sub-inspector of Chiringa Highway Police Outpost.
Two people were dead on the spot. The condition of the rest of the passengers is critical. The injured have been sent to Chattogram Medical College Hospital. The bus and the pickup van are in police custody.
The deceased were identified as Md Hamid, 32; Jahangir Alam; and Naju Miah, 28, of Karmuhuri Para of the same union. The death toll is likely to rise. The deceased were passengers of the pickup van.
Witness Mohammad Osman Gani said the accident happened when the pickup van was trying to overtake a motorcycle.
1 year ago
Bangladesh reports zero dengue cases, deaths
No fresh case or death due to dengue was reported in Bangladesh in the 24 hours to Friday morning.
Thirty-six dengue patients, including 16 in the capital, are now receiving treatment at hospitals across the country, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
So far, the DGHS has recorded 686 dengue cases, 642 recoveries, and eight deaths this year.
The country logged 281 dengue deaths in 2022 – the highest on record after 179 deaths recorded in 2019. Also, it recorded 62,423 dengue cases and 61,971 recoveries last year.
1 year ago
Turkey probes contractors as earthquake deaths pass 33,000
Turkish authorities are targeting contractors allegedly linked with buildings that collapsed in the powerful Feb. 6 earthquakes as rescuers found more survivors in the rubble Sunday, including a pregnant woman and two children, in the disaster that killed over 33,000 people.
The death toll from the magnitude 7.8 and 7.5 quakes that struck nine hours apart in southeastern Turkey and northern Syria rose to 33,185 and was certain to increase as search teams find more bodies.
As despair bred rage at the agonizingly slow rescues, the focus turned to assigning blame.
Turkish Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said 131 people were under investigation for their alleged responsibility in the construction of buildings that failed to withstand the quakes. While the quakes were powerful, many in Turkey blame faulty construction for multiplying the devastation.
Turkey's construction codes meet current earthquake-engineering standards, at least on paper, but they are rarely enforced, explaining why thousands of buildings toppled over or pancaked down onto the people inside.
Among those facing scrutiny were two people arrested in Gaziantep province on suspicion of cutting down columns to make extra room in a building that collapsed, the state-run Anadolu Agency said. The justice ministry said three people were arrested, seven others were detained and another seven were barred from leaving Turkey.
Also Read: Turkey detains building contractors as quake deaths pass 33,000
Two contractors held responsible for the destruction of buildings in Adiyaman were arrested Sunday at Istanbul Airport while trying to leave the country, the private DHA news agency and other media reported. One detained contractor, Yavuz Karakus, told DHA: “My conscience is clear. I built 44 buildings. Four of them were demolished. I did everything according to the rules.”
Rescuers reported finding more survivors amid increasingly long odds. Thermal cameras were used as crews demanded silence to hear those trapped.
In hard-hit Hatay province, a 50-year-old woman who appeared badly injured was carried out by crews in the town of Iskenderun. Similar rescues in the province saved two other women, one of them pregnant, according to broadcasters TRT and HaberTurk.
HaberTurk showed a 6-year-old boy rescued from his wrecked home in Adiyaman. An exhausted rescuer removed his surgical mask and took deep breaths as several women cried in joy.
Health Minister Fahrettin Koca posted a video of a young girl in a navy blue jumper who was found alive. “There is always hope!” he tweeted.
Rescuers in Antakya, elsewhere in Hatay province, pulled a man in his late 20s or 30s from the rubble, saying he was one of nine trapped in the building. He waved weakly as he was removed on a stretcher as workers applauded and chanted, “God is great!”
German and Turkish workers rescued an 88-year-old in Kirikhan, German news agency dpa reported. Italian and Turkish rescuers found a 35-year-old man in Antakya who appeared unscathed, private NTV television reported.
A child was freed overnight in the town of Nizip, in Gaziantep, state-run Anadolu Agency said, while a 32-year woman was found in a wrecked eight-story building in Antakya and asked for tea when she emerged, according to NTV.
Those were the rare exceptions.
Backhoes and bulldozers prepared a large cemetery in Antakya’s outskirts as trucks and ambulances brought a steady stream of black body bags. Hundreds of graves were marked with simple wooden planks.
Hatay’s airport reopened Sunday after its runway was repaired, and military and commercial planes ferried in supplies and will take away evacuees.
There are 34,717 Turkish personnel involved in rescue efforts. On Sunday, Turkey's Foreign Ministry said they were joined by 9,595 personnel from 74 countries, with more on the way.
In the Syrian capital of Damascus, the head of the World Health Organization warned that the pain will ripple forward, calling the disaster an “unfolding tragedy that’s affecting millions.”
“The compounding crises of conflict, COVID, cholera, economic decline, and now the earthquake have taken an unbearable toll,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.
Tedros said WHO experts were waiting to enter northwestern Syria “where we have been told the impact is even worse.”
U.N. Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths, visiting the Turkish-Syrian border Sunday, said Syrians are “looking for international help that hasn’t arrived.”
“We have so far failed the people in northwest Syria. They rightly feel abandoned,” he said, adding, “My duty and our obligation is to correct this failure as fast as we can.”
In the town of Atareb, in opposition-run northern Aleppo province, Abdel-Haseeb Abdel-Raheem returned Sunday to his ruined four-story building to try to salvage any valuables but could find only blankets, pillows and some clothes. His aunt and her husband died there, but their three children survived.
With no international rescue efforts in the war-battered region, the 34-year-old had to recover the bodies himself.
“You can’t hear someone inside screaming and sit tight. You can’t sit still. You can’t have the heart to hear someone (crying for help) and you do nothing,” he said, sitting above a mound of debris.
Political disputes have held up aid convoys sent from areas of northeast Syria controlled by U.S.-backed Kurdish groups to those controlled by the Syrian government and by Turkish-backed rebels who have fought with the Kurdish groups over the years.
A U.N. aid convoy sent to northwestern Syria through government-held areas was postponed due to obstruction from Hay’at Tahrir al Sham, an al-Qaida affiliated group ruling Idlib province, a U.N. spokesperson told The Associated Press.
Meanwhile, U.N. aid convoys continue to cross from Turkey into northwestern Syria through the Bab al-Hawa border crossing. The first U.N. convoy only reached northwest Syria from Turkey on Thursday, three days after the disaster struck.
Before that, it was only a steady stream of bodies coming through Bab al-Hawa: Syrian refugees who had fled the civil war and settled in Turkey but died in the disaster, being returned home for burial.
The earthquake death toll in Syria’s northwestern rebel-held region has reached 2,166, according to the rescue group the White Helmets. The overall death toll in Syria stood at 3,553 on Saturday, although the 1,387 deaths reported for government-held parts of the country hadn’t been updated in days. Turkey’s death toll was 29,605 as of Sunday.
Turkey’s Justice Ministry announced the establishment of Earthquake Crimes Investigation bureaus to identify contractors and others responsible for building works. It would gather evidence; instruct experts including architects, geologists and engineers; and check building permits and occupation permits.
A contractor was detained Friday at Istanbul airport before he could leave the country. He built a luxury 12-story building called Ronesans Rezidans in Antakya, and when it fell, it killed an untold number. He was formally arrested Saturday.
In leaked testimony published by Anadolu, the man said the building followed regulations and he did not know why it didn't stay standing. His lawyer suggested his client was a scapegoat.
Under programs that allowed building owners to pay fines instead of bringing them up to code, the government agency responsible for enforcement acknowledged in 2019 that over half of all buildings in Turkey — accounting for some 13 million apartments— were not in compliance.
The detentions could help direct public anger toward builders and contractors, deflecting it from local and state officials who allowed apparently substandard construction to proceed. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government, already burdened by an economic downturn and high inflation, faces parliamentary and presidential elections in May.
The nongovernmental business organization TURKONFED estimated the earthquake damage at $84.1 billion, based on statistics from the devastating 1999 quake in northwestern Turkey, including $70.1 billion in housing and $10.4 billion to gross domestic product.
Rescue crews have been overwhelmed by the widespread damage that has affected roads and airports, making it even harder to move quickly.
Erdogan acknowledged the initial response was hampered by the damage, with the worst-affected area 500 kilometers (310 miles) in diameter and home to 13.5 million. During a tour Saturday, Erdogan said such a tragedy was rare, referring to it as the “disaster of the century” in multiple speeches.
In New York City, mourners gathered Saturday at a mosque to remember a family of four from the borough of Queens who were killed while visiting relatives in Turkey. The Council on American-Islamic Relations said Burak and Kimberly Firik and their sons, aged 1 and 2, died in the disaster.
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Bilginsoy reported from Istanbul. Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Abby Sewell in Beirut, Kirsten Grieshaber in Berlin and Sarah El Deeb in Atareb, Syria, contributed.
1 year ago