United News of Bangladesh

Two 15-year old girls  allegedly committed suicide by drinking pesticide in Chatmohar upazila of Pabna on Saturday. The deceased were identified as Juthi Akter,15, daughter of Jillur Hossain from Jayghar village and Shabana Khatun,15, daughter of Shakhawat Hossain from Paikpara village in the upazila, said Shajib Shahrin, Asistant Superintendent of police (Chatmohar circle). According to the families, Juthi an eighth grader from Handial Girls High School and her friend Shabana, another eight grader from Paikpara Senior Alim Madrasah, bought the pesticide from Handial Bazar while returning home from school and madrasah respectively. Also read: Rajshahi Santal farmers commit suicide for not getting irrigation water, police said in chargesheets They swallowed the pesticide on their way home and only informed the matter to their families after falling sick later. One of them died on the way to Pabna Hospital while another died around 8:30 pm at Pabna General Hospital, said their family members. ASP Shajib Shahrin said the bodies were sent for autopsy. Also read: Ctg youth who dreamt of becoming a cricketer commits suicide “The reason behind their suicide could not be known. We are investigating the matter,” he added.

A 58-year-old security guard of a building was burned to death in a fire that broke out following a gas cylinder blast at Charipur in Feni district town on Saturday night. The deceased was identified as Anisur Rahman of Phulhata Panchagram in Morelganj upazila of Bagerhat district. Purnachandra Mritsuddi, deputy director of Feni Fire Service and Civil Defense, said a gas cylinder in the six-story building, owned by Abu Ahad Nayan,exploded with a big bang when Anisur was trying to light the oven for cooking around 11 pm, leaving him dead on the spot. Also read: Fire guts 4 thatched houses in Dhaka According to local people, the building has no gas connection and the tenants of the building use gas cylinder for cooking purpose. On information, a firefighting unit rushed to the spot and extinguished the blaze. They also recovered the charred body of Anisur from the spot. Also read: Gazipur yarn godown fire under control Police suspect the explosion occurred due to gas cylinder leakage.

Three school children were injured as a nor'wester, locally called Kalbaisakhi, blew down a school in Cox's Bazar's Moheshkhali Saturday. The storm destroyed Bangabandhu Private Primary School in Hoanak Purbo Horiar Chara. The injured are kindergarten students Muntaha Begum, Mobasshera Begum; and first-grader Faria Sultana. Classes started at Bangabandhu Primary School, as usual, in the morning. Thirty minutes later, heavy rains, thunderstorms and strong winds pounded the primary school made of wood and corrugated iron sheets, causing widespread damage and leaving three students injured, Rahamat Ullah, headteacher of the school, said. The critically injured Muntaha was first taken to Maheshkhali Upazila Health Complex and then to Cox's Bazar Sadar Hospital. Mobasshera and Faria are now undergoing treatment at Maheshkhali Upazila Health Complex. The upazila administration will give financial assistance to the school for its reconstruction, Maheshkhali Upazila Nirbahi Officer Mohammad Yaseen said. Also read: Nor’wester claims two lives in Bogura

Two people were killed and a child was injured in separate incidents in Bogura as nor’westers lashed different parts of the country on Saturday morning. The deaths were reported from Kahaloo and Shajahanpur upazilas of the district. In Kahaloo, a day laborer was killed when a wall collapsed on him during the storm in Maspara area soon after dawn, said Mohammad Ali, sub-inspector (SI)of Shahjahanpur police station. Read: Journey home ends in tragedy: Mother killed, son hurt in Turag road accident The deceased was identified as Shaheen, 45, son of late Gulzar of Jumarbari village of Saghata upazila of Gaibandha district. Another wall collapse in Kalai South Naodapara during the same nor'wester injured a seven-year-old boy. In Shajahanpur, a 50-year-old man was killed in Brikustia village under a falling tree. Abdul Halim, son of Anshar Ali of Brikushtia village of the upazila, used to work as a gardener in Bogura Cantonment. Sources said a large tree fell on Abdul Halim's house in the storm Saturday morning. A branch of a tree collapsed on Halim when he went to cut the branches of the tree, leaving him seriously injured. Read: 12 killed in Gaibandha, Faridpur as nor’wester lashes country He was taken to Bogura Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College Hospital where he died at noon, SI Mohammad Ali confirmed. Besides, a vast tract of ready-to-harvest paddy crops was damaged while electric poles were uprooted during the nor’wester, said Yusuf Rana Mandal, additional director of Bogura Agricultural Extension Department. The local Met office recorded 36 mm of rain in an hour.  

Police recovered the throat-slit bodies of a woman and her son from Natun Bandar village in Roumari upazila of Kurigram on Friday night. The deceased were identified as Hafsa Akter Haresa, 20, wife of Saheb Ali and their five-month-old son Habib of Okrakanda village in the upazila. Read: College student stabbed dead in Ctg According to police, locals found the body of a child and a woman on the bank of a pond in Natunbandar area around 8pm and informed the police. On information, police recovered the body of the child and the injured mother was rushed to Roumari hospital where the doctors referred her to Mymensingh Medical College Hospital. But she died on the way. Police suspect that miscreants might have killed them. Read: Truck-microbus collision leaves 2 dead in Natore Montaser Billah, officer-in-charge of Roumari police station, said the body of the slain child and his mother were recovered from the spot after receiving the news. The bodies will be sent to Kurigram Hospital morgue for autopsy tomorrow. Legal processes are underway in this regard, said the OC.  

The overall flood situation has improved in Sylhet as water started receding in different areas after eight days.  However, local people have to wait five more days to get back to the previous condition and have to remain  marooned during this period.  Meanwhile, Bangladesh Water Development Board said it has already taken an initiative to stop such flood in the future in the divisional city.    SM Shahidul Islam, additional chief engineer of Water Development Board, Sylhet, said, “The flood water is decreasing. There is no possibility of worsening the situation in Sylhet. But the flood-hit people will have to remain marooned for five more days. We are repairing the damaged dams.”  “A new project has been taken for dredging the Surma River. After completion of the dredging of the Surma River, flood situation will improve in Sylhet,” he said.  According to the Water Development Board, the Surma River was flowing 85 cenetemetres above the danger level at Kanaighat point Saturday morning while it was flowing 25 centemetres above the danger mark in Sylhet point. However, the water level at both points decreased than Friday.   Water-borne diseases including diarrhoea have broken out in Sylhet. Many families of the city left for the village home on Friday and Saturday.  Md. Mostafizur Rahman, the executive engineer of Roads and Highways Department, Sylhet, said, about 65 kilometres of 10 main inter-districts roads have been inundated. Vehicular movement on five roads remained suspended.  Also Read: Flooding affects millions in Sylhet    Deputy Commissioner Md. Mojibur Rahman said the administration is providing all kinds of assistance to the flood victims. Relief materials have been distributed among the flood victims, he added.  Meanwhile, around 70,000 people of five unions under Beanibazar upazila of the district remained marooned as the water level marked a rise in the Kushiara River.  Around 50 educational institutions remained closed in the upazila due to flood. Small vehicles plying on the Sylhet-Beanibazar highway remained suspended as 18 points of the highway have been inundated. However, buses are plying on the road  amid  risk of  accident.      Ashik Noor, Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) of Beanibazar, said 88 flood-affected families have taken shelter at 13 shelters out of 24 temporary flood shelters and this number is increasing . According to the Beanibazar upazila administration, around 14,000 families of various unions of the upazila are flood affected.   In Sunamganj,  the water levels in major rivers of the district was flowing 2 centemetres above the danger mark Saturday morning, said the Water Development Board.    Many flood victims of the district have alleged that they have not got relief from the administration.  Md. Jahangir Hossain, deputy commissioner,  said they have already distributed 165 metric tonnes of rice, Tk 12 lakh, and dry food among the flood victims.     

A sub-Inspector of police was killed while eight others including the accused were injured in a road accident Saturday, on the way to the station after a drive at Rajnagar upazila in Moulvibazar. The deceased was identified as Samiran Chandra Das, Sub-Inspector of Rajnagar police station, said Nazrul Islam, OC of Rajnagar police station. The injured are SI Suleman, SI Showkat Masud Bhuiyan, SI Jahangir, constable Abdul Aziz, constable Masuk Mia, accused Kanta Santal, Laxman Santal, and Kurmi Moina. Also read: 13 industrial cops hurt in Ctg road crash The accident occurred around 5 am when the troop was returning to police station after detaining three accused from Uttarbag tea garden when a tier of the pickup van exploded and it hit a roadside tree, said OC Nazrul Islam A team of Rajnagar Fire Service rescued four SI , two constables and three accused from the spot and rushed them to Moulvibazar General Hospital where the doctor announced Samiran dead on arrival. Also read: ASI killed in Chattogram road crash The police members and one of the accused were later transferred to MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital for better treatment.

A sand-carrying bulkhead capsized in the Meghna river while another bulkhead hit three makeshift shops on the Meghna River bank during a storm in Bhola Saturday morning. Fortunately no one was injured during the incidents, said Shahjalal Badsha, Officer-in-Charge of Elish river police station in Bhola. Also read: 2 farmers go missing as trawler sinks in Padma According to locals, the bulkhead vessel named MV Tamim Shamim sank near Tulatali Terminal when a nor’wester hit the area around 7:30 am. Six labourers of the vessel were rescued by local people. Meanwhile, another bulkhead vessel named MV Hridoy anchored near Mach Ghat area hit a tea stall and two fish selling shops, leaving them completely damaged during the storm , said OC Shahjalal Badsha. Also read: Speedboat sinks in Bay: Another body recovered, 2 still missing

Thirteen industrial police members were injured as a police van carrying  them was hit by a bus near Sagorika area in the port city on Saturday. The injured were identified as Shamim Hossain,22, Jashim,23, Rimi,22, Manik,24, Salauddin, 22, Shaikat, 22, Mahabul, 26, Shajib,21, Jannat,22, Rumpa,21, Masud,23, Md Jashim,23,Uinpre, 22, said Mostafizur Rahman, officer-in-Charge of Pahartali police station in Chattogram. Also read: ASI killed in Chattogram road crash The injured are currently being treated at Chattogram Medical College Hospital, he said. The police members were heading toward the office of Superintendent of Police at Khulshi from Kattali when a local bus hit it it around 9 am. Also read: 2 primary teacher candidates killed in Chandpur road crash “The bus was seized immediately after the accident but its driver managed to flee. Efforts are on to arrest him,” said the OC.

Two farmers went missing Saturday morning after a paddy-laden trawler capsized in the Padma river amid stormy weather near Louhajang turning point in Munshiganj district. The missing farmers were identified as Helal Fakir,50, and Alo Fakir,60. The trawler with 15 passengers , all farmers,  on board sank in the river while theywere returning home after harvesting paddy at Arial Beel with some 150 maunds of paddy. Also read: Boat capsizes in Sylhet; 2 missing Thirteen farmers were rescued alive with the help of  nearby vessels after the accident, said Abdul Awal, Upazila Nirbahi Officer of Louhajang Upazila. He said fire service men were informed while locals were trying to trace the missing farmers at noon. Also read: Missing tourist’s body recovered after two days from Moheshkhali Channel “The trawler was moving defying the ban on trawler movement due to inclement weather  and action will be taken in this regard,” said UNO Abdul Awal.