United News of Bangladesh

A fire that broke out in a textile waste godown in Gazipur early on Wednesday morning has been brought under control, officials said. The blaze started in the godown in the Dewaliabari area of Konabari around 4.45am and was brought under control around 8.15am, said Miraj Islam, an officer at Gazipur DBL Fire Service Station. Read: Bangladesh Bank fire put out "As many as four fire tenders have been pressed into service to douse the flames completely," he said. “Fortunately, no casualties were reported.” A probe has been ordered to ascertain the exact cause of the fire and the extent of damage, the officer said.  

Police have recovered the bodies of three tourists in the last three days who went missing while visiting the Napittachara stream in Chattogram’s  Mirsharai upazila. On Tuesday police recovered the body of a tourist from a canal in Khayachara union of the upazila. The deceased was identified as Tawfiq Ahmed Tarek, 22, student of Chittagong Collegiate School and College and a resident of Halishahar. Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Mirsharai Police Station, Kabir Hossain said Tareq's body was recovered 4 km away from Napittachara stream on Tuesday morning. Also Read: Woman’s body recovered from river, son detained Earlier, the body of Tarek’s  friend Ishtiaqur Rahman Pranto was recovered on Sunday (Jun 19) and Tarek’s elder brother Masud Ahmed Tanvir’s body was found on Monday (Jun 20), he said. According to police, three friends including two brothers from Chattogram’s Halishahar went to visit Napittachara stream in Mirsharai on June 19 (Sunday). Falling from the stream peak the three went missing in the water. Though Ishtiaqur's body was recovered that night, divers from Chittagong Fire Service couldn’t find the remaining two. 

More than one lakh people of 62 unions under nine upazilas of Kishoreganj have become marooned as flood water increased at all rivers in the district. A total of 12,748 families in the district have been affected due to the flood created by the upstream water of India’s Cherrapunji via Habiganj. According to the Water Development Board, the water of the Brahmaputra River was flowing 11.52 centimeter above the danger mark while water in the Meghna River near Bhairab was flowing 5.80 centimeter above the danger mark.  The people of the three haor upazilas  -- Austagram, Itna, and Mithamoin are the worst sufferers of the flood.  Villagers of Tarail, Nikli, Karimganj, Bajitpur, and Bhairab have also been affected by the sudden flood water. <iframe width="1360" height="600" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5Le3gNNhOIE" title="কিশোরগঞ্জ লাখো মানুষ পানিবন্দি,  জনদূর্ভোগ চরমে | UNB" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe> According to the district administration, a total of 507 square kilometers of the district went under flood water.  Eight unions of Austagram, seven of Mithamoin, eight of Karimganj, six of Nikli, four of Katiadi, eight of Bajitpur, and five unions of Bhairab were under flood water. Also Read: Flood claims 22 lives in Sylhet division in 7 days, says divisional health director Houses, schools, colleges, shrines, and hat-bazaars of these upazilas have been inundated by the flood water. The electricity supply of 20 villages in three upazilas of the district has been cut off considering the safety of the people. District administration has opened 154 shelters in 62 unions where 12,748 people and 2,047 cattle have already been taken. Many flood-affected people have taken shelter in safer places and many sheltered at government educational institutions. Local administrations of these upazilas have started to distribute relief materials among the flood victims. Nafisa Akter, Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) of Itna, said most of the areas of the upazila have been inundated and there is a crisis of food and pure drinking water. A total of 2,000 packets of dry foods, 144 metric tonnes of rice, and 4.80 lakh cash have been distributed among the flood-affected people in the upazila, she added. Nikli UNO Md Abu Hasan said if the downpour continues in Sylhet and Sunamganj, then the maximum areas of Nikli will be inundated. Deputy Commissioner Md. Shamim Alam said he has already visited flood-affected haor areas to observe the flood situation. All UNOs have been instructed to distribute relief materials among the flood victims in the inundated villages and shelters, he added.

Food Minister Sadhan Chandra Majumder said there will be no food crisis in the country due to ongoing flood in the north-eastern region of the country. He claimed this while answering to a question from journalists at Naogaon deputy commissioner’s conference hall on Tuesday. Also read: South Asia floods hampering access to food, clean water The food minister said currently the government has a stock of 16 lakh metric tonnes of rice and paddy. Besides, the government is procuring more paddy from the farmers.   “In case of any emergency, we will import rice. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has allowed the businessmen to import rice without tax,” he said.   Sadhan Chandra said such heavy downpour was not seen in the last 100 years that triggered flood in Sylhet and Sunamganj. “We may see more floods in the country but we are ready to face those,” he added. Also read: Sylhet flood: Food, pure drinking water crisis hit vicitms hard The minister said, “We have overcome the situation caused by flashflood during this year’s Boro season.”  Deputy Commissioner Khalid Mehedi Hasan and other senior government officials were present. 

Twenty-two people have died in recent floods in Sylhet division since June 15, said Divisional Health Director Himangshu Lal Roy on Tuesday. “We have received information that 22 people have died in Sylhet division. Of them, 14 died in Sylhet district, three in Moulvibazar district and five in Sunamganj district,” he told UNB. Also read: Woman dies as boat sinks in Netrokona floodwater Among them, bodies of two people-a woman and her son- were recovered three days after they drowned in floodwater in Jointapur upazila of the district on Tuesday, he said. The fatalities occurred due to lightning strikes, snakebite, electrocution, landslides and drowning during the period, said Himangshu.   According to Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) a total of 36  people have died in the recent flood across the country from May 17 to June 21. Of the deceased, five people died in Mymensingh district, four in Netrokona, three each in Jamalpur and Sherpur districts under Mymensingh division, one in Lalmonirhat, two in Kurigram under Rangpur division, 10 in Sylhet, five in Sunamganj and three in Moulvibazar district under Sylhet division, it said.

A 32-year-old woman drowned as a boat sank in floodwater at Jurail village in Kendua upazila of Netrokona district on Tuesday. The deceased was identified as Julekha Begum, wife of Hares Mia of the village. Also read:Man injured while receiving flood relief dies in Sylhet Mir Mahbubur Rahman, inspector of Kendua police station, said Julekha, her 7-year-old daughter Tanjina,  sister-in-law Nazmunnahar and two others were going to Jurail Haor by a small boat Tuesday morning. At one stage, Tanjina fell into water from the boat. Julekha managed to save her daughter but she drowned in floodwater. Also read: Flood situation worsens in Kurigram, over 2 lakh affected

Police recovered the bodies of a 50-year-old woman and her 14-year-old son, three days after they drowned in floodwater in Jointapur upazila on Tuesday. The deceased were identified as Nazmun Nesa and Abdur Rahman of Amirabad village in Jointapur upazila. Also read:Man injured while receiving flood relief dies in Sylhet Golam Dastagir Ahmed, officer-in-charge of Jointapur Police Station, said police recovered the bodies of the duo around 11:30 am. The mother and son drowned while wading through floodwater for reaching their house at Mohakhala in the upazila. Also read: Flood situation worsens in Sylhet The bodies were sent to the morgue of a local hospital.

A 45-year-old man who sustained injuries while collecting relief thrown from a helicopter of Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) in Tahipur upazila in Sunamganj on Monday died at a hospital in Sylhet on Tuesday. The deceased was identified as Biplab Mia, son of Shahid Ali of Tahirpur upazila. Matiur Rahman Moti, former member of Tahirpur union, said BAF members distributed relief materials among the flood victims from a helicopter at Sheikh Russel Mini Stadium at Tahirpur upazila headquarters on Monday. Six people including Biplab suffered injuries while they were scrambling for the relief materials. The injured were taken to Tahirpur Upazila Health Complex.  Read: Flood situation worsens in Kurigram, over 2 lakh affected Of the injured, Biplab, father of two sons and two daughters, was shifted to Ragib Rabeya Medical College on Monday night where he succumbed to his injures around 9 am on Tuesday.  

A 26-year-old executive riding his bike to work was killed after being hit by a speeding tractor trolley near Karpasdanga Bazar of Chuadanga's Damurhuda upazila on Tuesday morning. The deceased was identified as Minal Hossain, son of Aftab Hossain of Sadabari village in the upazila. He worked as a field officer at Mimpex Agrochemicals Ltd. Read: Teenager found dead in Khulna The accident occurred around 8am on Tuesday when Minal was on his way to his office, police said. The soil-laden tractor-trolley crashed into the bike at high speed, leaving Minal dead on the spot, said Atiqur Rahman Jewel, sub-inspector at Karpasdanga police outpost. On information, police rushed to the spot and recovered the body, he added.

The overall flood situation in Sylhet deteriorated further on Tuesday due to the swelling of the Kushiara river caused by incessant showers over the last three days, rendering thousand of people homeless. According to the Water Development Board, the Kushiara was flowing 186cm above the danger level at Amalshid point, 67cm above the danger level at Sheula point, and 8cm above the red mark at Fenchuganj point. Besides, the Surma river was flowing above the danger mark at all points. The flood situation in six upazilas of the district -- Jakiganj, Balaganj, Beanibazar, Osmaninagar, Golapganj and Fenchuganj -- has also turned grim due to the swelling of the Kushiara. Read: Flood situation worsens in Kurigram, over 2 lakh affected In fact, 60 percent area of Fenchuganj upazila has been flooded while the road link from Sadar upazila to Beanibazar upazila of the district remained snapped. Balaganj-Khasrupur and Fenchuganj-Balaganj roads are also under water, officials said. Many new areas of the six upazilas have also been flooded due to the rise in the water level of the Kushiara river. <iframe width="1360" height="657" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_nPYCplXRR0" title="সুনামগঞ্জের বন্যা পরিস্থিতি নিয়ে যা বললেন জেলা প্রশাসক | UNB" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe> Thousands of people have been hit by the floods, while shortage of food and drinking water has mounted the woes of the victims. The victims alleged that they were yet to get relief materials from the government. Meanwhile, the flood situation in Sylhet city, Biswanath upazila and Kanaighat upazila of the district remained the same with rains subsiding over the last couple of days. Read: Govt hopes FY2023 will be final year of Covid pandemic: Document Besides, the flood situation in Companiganj, Goainghat and Jointapur upazilas of the district has slightly improved with water levels in major rivers -- the Dhalai, the Pian, the Sari and the Lova -- subsiding. Over 90 percent areas of the three upazilas have been flooded. The Army, the Navy, the Coast Guard, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and the local police have been pressed into action to evacuate the flood victims of the district.