United News of Bangladesh

Two businessmen, one driving a bike and the other riding it, died on Satkhira-Khulna Highway when their vehicle collided with an ambulance Friday night. The deceased were identified as Shah Bazlul Rahman, 58, and Abdus Salam, 40, from Satkhira city, said Biswajit Adhikari, officer-in-charge of Satkhira Sadar Police Station. The crash left another pillion rider, Khokon, critically injured. Read: RSF releases monthly accident statistics The accident occurred around 9:30pm near the Binerpota area as the road became slippery from rain. Bazlur and Salam died on the spot. Khokon is now undergoing treatment at Satkhira Sadar Hospital and is not out of danger, Biswajit said. "Bodies of Bazlur and Salam were handed over to their families after postmortem examinations. We are trying to detain the ambulance driver," he added.  

Dhaka, June 18 (UNB) – Bangladesh Army has launched a toll-free helpline for the flood-hit people of Sunamganj and Sylhet, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Directorate. The helpline numbers are 01769177266, 01769177267, 01769177268, 01852788000, 01852798800, 01852804477, 01987781144, 01993781144, 01995781144, 01513918096, 01513918097, 01513918098. Read: Rail communication with Sylhet snapped amid flood Friday, the government deployed army personnel in Sylhet and Sunamganj to speed up flood rescue and relief operations, ISPR said.  

Rail communication beween Sylhet and other parts of the country was completely snapped Saturday afternoon amid worsening flood situation.. Sylhet railway authorities made the announcement of suspending train services around 1:30 pm. “As floodwater entered the railway station rail communication has been suspended,” said Nurul Islam, manager of Sylhet Railway Station. Also read: School, colleges to be used as flood shelters: DSHE However keeping trains operational till Maijgaon station in Fenchuganj upazila is under discussion but no decisions have been made yet, he said. On Friday., all kind of flight operations at Sylhet MAG Osmani International Airport was suspended for three days due to flood situation. Also read: Netrakona’s rail link with other parts of country snapped due to flood Flood situation in Sylhet started turning into a terrible disaster from Thursday afternoon as almost all the upazilas and municipal area went under water.

Incessant rainfall for the last three days caused waterlogging in low-lying areas of Chattogram port city. Some people were seen wading through knee to waist-deep water to reach their destinations in the morning due to lack of transport. Office-goers and others had to pay extra fares to reach their workplaces. Also read: Heavy downpour floods Chattogram city; 4 killed in landslides Many areas including Bakolia, Agrabad, Muradpur, No 2 Gate, Bohoddar Hat were submerged by rainwater, triggering traffic jam in different parts of the city.

Rail communication of Netrakona district with other parts of the country has remained suspended since Saturday morning as a rail bridge collapsed in Mohonganj upazila of Netrakona district due to flood. Golam Rabbani, station master of Barohatta Rail Station, said the no 23 rail bridge between Mohonganj and Atitpur Rail Station collapsed in the morning due to strong current of floodwater. READ: Floods in Sylhet, Sunamganj, Netrakona likely to deteriorate further in 24 hours: Forecast Inter-city train services of ‘Mohonganj Express’ from Netrakona was suspended while a local train from Mymensingh and Haor Express’ train got stranded at Barohatta Station and Mohonganj station respectively, causing immense sufferings to commuters. Meanwhile, 39 unions of six upazilas of Netrakona district have been flooded due to onrush of hill water from upstream and heavy downpour  in the district, rendering one lakh people marooned.

Flood situation in Kurigram district worsened further due to the swelling of major rivers caused by onrush of  water from upstream and incessant rainfall, rendering one lakh people marooned. According to the local Water Development Board, the Dharla River was flowing 22 cm above its danger level at Setu point while the Brahmmaputra River was flowing 22 cm above its red amrk at Chilmari point at 6 am on Saturday. Besides, Teesta river water also increased at many point due to continuous rains. The low-lying areas and char areas of Kurigram Sadar, Ulipur, Phulbari, Nagershwari, Bhurungamari and Chilmari upazilas went under water while nearly 100 educational institutions have been closed due to flood. River erosion at 30 points of the district has taken serious turn and 20 educational institutions and many houses are facing erosion threat. READ: 50,000 people marooned by flood in parts of Kurigram According to the Department of Agriculture Extension, 6,000 hectares of land have been inundated and 150 fish enclosures were washed away by the flood. Besides, many roads were submerged in nine upazilas of the district, snapping road communication. Many people have taken shelter in high places including roads and embankments as flood water enters their dwelling houses. Thousands of people in flood-hit areas are suffering from a shortage of food and drinking water for the last couple of days.

A police constable driving his bike died after he came under the wheels of a bus on Chattogram-Cox's Bazar Highway in Lohagara upazila Friday night. Maruful Islam, 22, of Chattogram Metropolitan Police, was from Chakaria upazila's Harbang union, Sub-Inspector Rafiqul Islam, in-charge of Chunati Police Outpost, told UNB. The accident occurred at 9:30pm as Maruf was heading towards his Harbang home. "As he neared Lohagara's Chunati, a bus knocked him from behind. The policemen fell on the road, came under the rear wheel of the bus, and died on the spot," Rafiqul said. Also read: Truck runs over man after being chased by police in C’nawabganj

Almost 1 lakh people slated to benefit from building a small bridge costing the government in the range of Tk 3.5 crore, over the Louhajong River as it flows through Berdoma in Tangail, will have to wait longer, after the structure collapsed on Thursday.   There were no external factors at play: it had not opened to traffic yet (because it wasn't complete), and there was little water flowing in that part of the river. Yet the centre-shuttering of the bridge had given away overnight, and the structure had collapsed in on itself at the centre, 3.5 feet deep. It could only have been the result of faulty design or construction, or both.    Municipal engineers and contractors visited the site on Friday morning.   According to Tangail Municipality sources, construction companies Brix and Bridge Limited and the Nrimiti started working jointly on November 12, 2020. UNB was unable to find any reliable record of these companies on the internet.    More than Tk 3.5 crore was estimated as the construction cost of the 30-meter-long and 8-meter-wide bridge. That being said, it still fell below the threshold at which contracts for government projects must be awarded through public tender. Taking advantage of this, it is alleged that the contract was captured by the local MP, Sanwar Hossain of Tangail-5, and distributed to one of his followers.    He was essentially a local party activist,  Amirul Islam, who seemed to have assumed the role of a go-between for the contracted firms and the local administration, which was the awarding body.     Many contracts of this size and scope are being handled like this by MPs or the local administrations, all over the country. While there are some stories of the method proving useful to getting new localised engineering and construction firms started out, or the break some new firm needed, often the end result for firms that are literally starting out and have never actually built bridges is what we see in Tangail with Brix and Bridge Limited and Nrimiti.   Solaiman Hasan, information and research secretary of the district Awami League, demanded the contractors stand trial for wasting government money. "Those who have never even seen bridges had come to build bridges! It was sad. Although there is not much water and current in the river, the bridge has collapsed in on itself," he remarked.    Apparently members of the public could tell the contractors were not doing their job properly during the construction while it was ongoing. They would even engage the contractors and try to point things out to them but they were always ready with the MP's name to have their way.      On the date it was supposed to be handed over, some 55% of the work was reported as complete.    Abul Kalam Azad, councilor of ward no.5, Tangail Municipality, said that the engineers and contractors of the municipality requested several times to complete the work but they did not give any importance.    "Now thousands of people will suffer due to the collapse of the bridge," he added.   Also read: Worker killed, 20 others hurt as bridge collapses in Rangamati Amirul Islam, representative of the contractors, said they were both working from Dhaka. He spoke for them but also was keen to demonstrate he was not actually part of the company, and so to detach himself by playing the role of a mere middle-man.    "No work is implemented under my leadership," Amirul said.   A probe body will be formed to investigate the matter, said Tangail Municipality Engineer Shibbir Ahmed Azmi. He said that all concerned including the project director have been given notice after inspecting the site. Going forward, an investigation committee  will be formed to unravel what exactly happened here, he added.  

The government has deployed army personnel in Sylhet and Sunamganj districts to speed up flood rescue and relief operations, according to ISPR. Nine units of the Bangladesh Army started rescue operations in flood-hit Sylhet and Sunamganj districts in the afternoon. “The troops have been deployed in Sylhet sadar, Gowainghat, Kompaniganj, Sunamganj sadar, Dirai, Chhatak, Doarabazar and Jamalganj upazilas to rescue the waterlogged people from their homes by boat and take them to safe shelter,” said an ISPR media release Friday. In addition, troops have been deployed to protect food godowns in Sunamganj and the Kumargaon power station in Sylhet. The following five tasks are assigned to the members of the army:  1. Rescue people trapped in water and take them to safe places. 2. Selection of temporary shelters with the help of civil administration and provision of accommodation for the rescued persons. 3. Provide medical assistance 4. Assist the civil administration in maintaining food godowns, power stations and other facilities. 5. Provide food and potable water.

At least 12 people were killed, and two others injured by lightning strikes in Mymensingh, Jamalpur, Sherpur, Lalmonirhat, Sirajganj and Keraniganj districts Friday, police said. The number is the year's highest single-day death toll caused by lightning strikes, the last addition to the government's list of natural disasters in Bangladesh.  In Mymensingh, six people, including three children, were killed as they were struck by lightning in different parts of the district. Sayed Mian, 12, Swadhin, 11, and Shaon,7, of Kankarhati village in Nandail upazila died while playing football as a thunderbolt struck them down. Also, two fishermen were killed in a lightning strike while they were fishing on a nearby waterbody in Balapara, Mymensingh Sadar. The deceased were identified as Abu Bakkar, 40, and Jahangir Alam, 32, of the area, said Shah Kamal Akand, officer-in-charge of Kotwali Model Police Station. Abu Sayed, 30, was injured by a lightning strike while fishing at Ghogra Beel in Dhobaura upazila during rain. He died while being rushed to Dhobaura Upazila Health Complex, said Tipu Sultan, officer-in-charge of Dhobaura Police Station. In Sirajganj, a businessman was killed and two workers injured when a thunderbolt struck them down in River Jamuna River in Sadar upazila. "The deceased was identified as Razzak Munshi, 50, from Katangar Char, Sadar upazila. The injured are Saiful, 28, and Shamim, 32, of Ekdala area of the upazila," Mohammad Nazrul Islam, officer-in-charge (OC) of Sadar Police Station, said. In Keraniganj, a teenage boy was killed after being hit by lightning while playing football in the Rohitpur area. The deceased was identified as Sajib Sarker, 18, of the area, said Abu Salam Miah, officer-in-charge of Keraniganj Model Police Station. In Lalmonirhat, Abdul Motin, 52, a fisherman from Hatibandha upazila was killed after being hit by lightning while fishing, said Abul Hashem Talukder, chairman of Saniajan union of the upazila. In Bogura, a farmer was killed after being hit by lightning while working in his paddy field. The deceased was identified as Tojbel Hossain, 70, from Elangi union of Dhunat upazila, Tojammel Haque, chairman of Elangi Union Parishad, said. In Sherpur, a 35-year-old man was killed after being struck by lightning in Nakla upazila in the early hours of Friday, police said. The deceased was identified as Showkat Ali of the area. He was an office assistant at Kayda Uttar Government Primary school. According to family sources, Showkat along with his younger brother Mehedi Hasan went to repair pond edges to stop the fishes in the body of water from getting washed away. At that time, Shawkat was struck by lightning. He was declared dead after being rushed to Upazila Health Complex, said Mohammad Mushfiqur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Nakla Police Station. In Jamalpur, a 15-year-old boy died after being struck by lightning in Sarishabari upazila while catching fish. Shakil, a ninth-grader, was declared dead after being rushed to the hospital, Dr Debasish Rajbongshi, resident medical officer of Sarishabari Upazila Health Complex, said. Read: Lightning kills 2 in Chapainawabganj