A mother-son duo who ate poisonous puffer fish, locally called "potka fish", died in Khulna's Batiaghata upazila on Monday evening. Pufferfish is considered a delicacy but can be fatal because of its toxicity, if not cooked properly. The deceased were identified as Pori Begum, 60, and her son, Jahangir, 36, residents of Mathabhanga village in Batiaghata upazila. Police said the poor family caught the fish from the Rupsha river and consumed it after cooking. Also read: Kinder chocolates linked to salmonella poisoning in 11 countries: WHO As they fell sick, neighbours took them to Khulna Medical College and Hospital where Pari Begum was announced dead on arrival. Jahangir died later during treatment. Jahangir’s cousin Saidul, 35, who also consumed the fish is currently being treated for poisoning at the hospital, said duty doctor Bidhan. Officer-in-charge of Labanchora police station, Md Enamul Haque, said the family was probably unaware of the toxicity of the fish. The rate of poisoning due to pufferfish consumption is high in the rainy season in Bangladesh as this is the time when they get ready for breeding. Also read: 3 of a restaurant held as 30 suffer food poisoning In Bangladesh, two species of pufferfish are found in freshwater environment and at least 20 species in rivers.

Three people including a woman and her son were killed and fifteen others injured when a bus crashed into a roadside tree on Dhaka-Aricha highway at Muljan in Sadar upazila of Manikganj district on Wednesday. Two of the deceased were identified as Hasna Begum, 50, Hafizul Islam, 35, son of Hasna of Nischintapur village in Tangail district while the identity of another deceased could not be known immediately. Also read: Road crashes claim 589 lives in March: Report Abdur Rauf Sarkar, officer-in-charge of Sadar Police Station, said the accident occurred around 2 pm when the Dhaka-bound ‘Village Line Paribahan’ bus hit the tree after its driver lost control over steering, leaving two people dead on the spot and 16 others injured. One of the injured died on way to hospital and the rest were admitted to 250-bed Sadar Hospital. Also read: 3 killed, 12 injured in Magura road crash On information, police seized the bus but its driver and helper managed to flee the scene.

A woman and her son were killed when a pickup van hit them in Chunakhali culvert area on Amtoli-Patuakhali regional highway in Barguna district on Monday morning. The deceased were identified as Nurjahan Begum, 40, her son Md Rakib, 16, of West Chunakhali village in Kukua union of Amtoli upazila. Read: Father-son killed in Hajiganj road crash Confirming the matter, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Amtoli police station AKM Mizanur Rahman said Nurjahan and her son were going to their relative’s house around 7:45am and when they reached Chunakhali culvert area a pick-up van hit them, killing  both on the spot. On information, police rushed to the spot and seized the pickup van, the OC added. Read: Kushtia road crash claims two lives However, the driver and his helper managed to flee. Legal action will be taken in this regard, he said.