The first phase of the three-day Biswa Ijtema, billed as the second largest congregation of Muslims after Hajj, began Friday morning after two years of Covid hiatus on the bank of the River Turag river in Tongi. The 56th edition of the annual Biswa Ijtema (World Congregation) began with the a'mbayan (general sermons) of Pakistani Islamic scholar Maulana Ziaul Haque after Fajr prayers. Read more: Foolproof security measures taken ahead of Ijtema: IGP Thousands of devotees from home and abroad – including India, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Syria, Chad, Tajikistan Turkey, Afghanistan, Palestine, the UK, and the US – thronged the bank of Turag to listen to scholars reciting and explaining verses from the Quran and to renew their commitment to Islamic values.

The body of a pregnant woman was recovered from the Turag River in Ashulia union of Savar upazila of Dhaka after a boat sank in the river Monday morning. The deceased was identified as Rozina Begum, 22, wife of Ashiqur Rahman of Rangpur and a garment worker in Ashulia, said Idris Hossain, in charge of Tongi Fire Service. The boat with 30 passengers on board sank in the mid river in the morning. All the passengers but Rozina managed to swim ashore, he said. Also read: Over 14,000 children die in Bangladesh due to drowning every year A diving team of Tongi fire service fished out her body from the river around 12 pm. “The boat might have capsized due to overload. The body has been handed to the family,” he said. Also read: Young tourist drowns in Nikli haor

Three teenagers died in a pre-dawn fire at a tin-roofed shanty at Chandalbuk under Turag Police Station on Tuesday. The deceased were identified as Md Jahangir,19, Ruma Aktar, 17, and Afrin 14. The fire broke out around 4:20 am at Suruj Mia’s house at Manik Slum in the city's Uttara area, said Shahjahan Sikder, Deputy Assistant Director Media cell of fire service and Civil Defence headquarters. Also read: Cox's Bazar Rohingya camp fire: Teams working 24/7 to regain normalcy On information, three units of firefighters rushed to the spot and managed to put out the flame at after one and a half hours of efforts at 5:40 am, he said “The fire might have originated from an electric short-circuit. Things will be clear after our investigation,” he said. Also read: Jhalakathi launch fire: Death toll rise to 49 The fire service official said the bodies were recovered from the spot and handed over to Sub Inspector Waziur Rahman.

Within just 12 hours two dolphin carcasses were recovered from the Turag River at Ashulia Bazar area in Savar until Monday noon. After the local fisherman fished out a dead dolphin weighing three mounds on Sunday afternoon, locals spotted another floating near Felaghat area on Monday noon. This time the dolphin weighed around 5 mounds said, Kamrul Islam Sarkar, a senior fisheries officer in Savar upazila. Also read: Another dolphin carcass recovered from Halda River He said the dolphin recovered on Sunday was a Ganges Dolphin (Platanista gangetica) according to a researcher from Jahangirnagar University. “These dolphins had sanctuary in Padma and Jamuna River in Bangladesh but in the last 10-15 years this species was not heard to be spotted in this region” said Kamrul. Also read: Reward for information about Dolphin killers: Environment Minister He said they are trying to identify the species of the dolphin found today. Experts are also trying to determine the cause of their deaths. The government incorporated a punishment of maximum five-year jail or highest Tk 5 lakh fine for repeated killings of dolphins in the Wildlife (Conservation and Security) Act. On October 19,the government approved the "Dolphin Conservation Action Plan” to protect the habitat of dolphins in Bangladesh.

The death toll from the trawler capsize in the Turag River rose to five with the recovery of the bodies of two more children on Saturday afternoon. The bodies were retrieved one kilometre off the spot around 4:30pm but their identities could not be known yet, said in-charge of Aminbazar police outpost Sabur Alam. The sunken trawler has also been salvaged, he said. Earlier, the bodies of two children and a woman were subsequently fished out of the river. Kazi Mazharul Islam, officer-in-charge of Savar Police Station, said the Gabtoli-bound vessel with 15 people on board capsized in the river after hitting the bulkhead off the coast of Savar's Aminbazar on the outskirts of Dhaka in the morning. READ: Trawlers with 24 fishermen capsize in the Bay, one dies While eight people managed to swim to safety, seven others went missing. On information, divers from the local fire service station rushed to the spot and launched a rescue operation. Dinmoni Sharma, deputy director of Fire Service Dhaka Division, said the divers of fire service suspended the rescue operation at 6 pm and it will resume on Sunday morning. READ: 11 fishers rescued as trawler capsizes in Bay of Bengal

Three persons drowned while four others went missing after a passenger vessel sank in the Turag river off the coast of Savar following a collision with a bulkhead on Saturday. The identities of the missing could not be known immediately. Kazi Mazharul Islam, officer-in-charge of Savar Police Station, said the Gabtoli-bound vessel with 15 people on board capsized in the river after hitting the bulkhead off the coast of Savar's Aminbazar on the outskirts of Dhaka this morning. READ: Trawlers with 24 fishermen capsize in the Bay, one dies While eight people managed to swim to safety, seven others went missing.  On information, divers from the local fire service station rushed to the spot and launched a rescue operation. READ: 11 fishers rescued as trawler capsizes in Bay of Bengal The bodies of two children and a woman were subsequently fished out of the river, said Raihanul, station officer (media) of Fire Service and Civil Defense headquarters.