United News of Bangladesh

Hundreds of students have been hit hard as flooding forced authorities to close educational institutions in Sylhet district. According to the district primary education office, floodwaters have entered some 550 educational institutions in the district. Also read:No improvement in Sylhet's flood situation Besides, 200 educational institutions have been designated as shelters for the flood-hit residents of the district, forcing students to stay away from their academic activities. All the rivers of the district are full to the brim due to the onrush of hilly waters from the upstream and incessant rains over the past several days, according to officials. The low-lying areas of the district have already been flooded, rendering nearly one lakh people marooned. There are 1,477 primary schools in the district and 400 schools were affected till Wednesday. Goainghat, Kanaighat, Jointapur, Jakiganj and Companiganj upazilas are the worst hit. District education officer Shakhawat Ershad feared that new areas in the district could be flooded soon due to the rise in water levels of all the rivers in the district. Besides, sources said that 150 secondary schools and madrasas have been inundated due to flooding. Flood situation in Sylhet The overall flood situation in Sylhet district worsened further Thursday morning, with some rivers still flowing above the danger level due to the onrush of hilly waters from India. Although the showers have subsided in the district in the last two days, the water levels in rivers and haors of Sylhet rose two more inches due to the onrush this morning. According to the administration, at least 30 areas of Sylhet city have been flooded. Also read: Flood situation worsens in Sylhet; low-lying areas in city inundated The flood situation has also worse in 13 upazilas of the district -- Companiganj, Gowainghat, Kanaighat, Zakiganj, Jaintapur and Sylhet Sadar upazilas to name a few. The floods have affected 20 lakh people in Sylhet district and city. Meanwhile, the floods have triggered power cuts in different upazilas and Sylhet city, hitting hard some 11.5 lakh consumers of Bangladesh Power Development Board and Palli Bidyut Samiti.

Three people were killed and 15 others sustained injuries after being struck by lightning while working on a paddy field in the Kalagaon area of the district's Tahirpur upazila on Thursday. The identities of the deceased could not be known immediately. Also read:Lightning strikes kill 6, injure 3 in four districts A group of farm workers was working on the paddy field when they were struck by lightning around 11am, said Abdul Latif Tarafdar, officer-in-charge of Tahidpur Police Station. While three of them died on the spot, the injured were admitted to a local hospital. Lightning strike in Bangladesh Lightning strike has turned into one of the deadliest natural disasters in Bangladesh, claiming over 200 lives every year. Also read: Lightning kills 2 in Sunamganj Haor According to the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, 2,164 people died in lightning strikes in the country from 2011 to 2020. At least 216 people die every year on average in lightning strikes, more than by floods, cyclones and other calamities. More than 70 percent of the total lightning strikes occur between April and June, say experts.

The overall flood situation in Sylhet district worsened further Thursday morning, with some rivers still flowing above the danger level due to the onrush of hilly waters from India. Although the showers have subsided in the district in the last two days, the water levels in rivers and haors of Sylhet rose two more inches due to the onrush this morning. According to the administration, at least 30 areas of Sylhet city have been flooded. Also read: No improvement in Sylhet's flood situation The flood situation has also worsened in 13 upazilas of the district -- Companiganj, Gowainghat, Kanaighat, Zakiganj, Jaintapur and Sylhet Sadar upazilas to name a few. The floods have affected 20 lakh people in Sylhet district and city. Meanwhile, the floods have triggered power cuts in different upazilas and Sylhet city, hitting hard some 11.5 lakh consumers of Bangladesh Power Development Board and Palli Bidyut Samiti. Two sub-stations of the Development Board and two sub-stations of Palli Bidyut Samiti have been shut down due to the rise in flood waters, according to officials. According to the Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre of Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB), the Surma river has been flowing 127 cm above the danger level at Kanaighat Point. At Sylhet point, it has increased by 13 cm and is flowing 42 cm above the danger level. Besides, the water of Kushiara has increased by 20 cm at Amalsid (Sylhet) point and is now flowing 158 cm above the danger level. On the other hand, at Sheola (Sylhet) point, the water level of the river has risen by 8 cm.

A couple in Khulna were electrocuted to death and their three-year-old child injured  in Khulna’s Dumuria upazila on Wednesday afternoon. The deceased were Abhijit Biswas, 28, of Kulti village and his wife Sundari Biswas, 23. Confirming the incident, Dumuria Police officer-in-charge (OC) Sheikh Koni Mia said Abhijit and his wife Sundari went to the kitchen around 2.30 pm on Wednesday. The tin roof and fence of the kitchen were electrified due to a short circuit. The couple was electrocuted when they accidentally touched the fence. And their daughter Aurna was burnt. Neighbours rushed to the spot, switched off the main switch and took them to Khulna Medical College Hospital where the on-duty doctor declared them dead. However, the child was out of danger after receiving the necessary treatment. Also read: A man, his grandson electrocuted in Sylhet, agitated villagers block Polly Bidyut office

Nominees of potential pilgrims registered by the government who already deposited their hajj funds but are unable to attend this year due to death, illness, or age limit will be allowed to withdraw their deposited money. The Ministry of Religious Affairs Wednesday issued a notice regarding the withdrawal of the deposit in case of death, illness, or expiry of the age limit of the depositors. The nominees will be able to withdraw the deposited money by applying to the registration refund system by logging onto www.hajj.gov.bd, it said. Performing hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam and able-bodied Muslims are obliged to perform it at least once in their lifetime if they can afford it. The five-day hajj pilgrimage takes place from the eighth to the 12th of Dhul Hijjah, the final month of the Islamic lunar calendar. In 2022, hajj will be observed from July 7-12. Also read: HAAB announces private Hajj package for 2022, Minimum cost fixed at 4,63,000

Bangladesh Coast Guard (BCG) on Wednesday confiscated 6,050kg (6.05 metric tonnes) of shrimps injected with a harmful jelly-like substance to artificially increase their weight from the Khan Jahan Ali Bridge Toll Plaza, Khulna. It also detained two men – Md Abdur Rahman, 35, and Md Faruk Gazi, 20, according to Lieutenant Commander Labeeb Usama Ahmadullah, Coast Guard media officer. Later, representatives of Fish Inspection and Quality Control ( FIQC) Khulna fined Abdur Rahman, Faruk, and three organisations a cumulative Tk1.30 lakh, Labeeb said. Earlier, on information, a team of BCG Station Rupsha under Coast Guard West Zone carried out a raid in Khan Jahan Ali Bridge Toll Plaza under Rupsha Police Station at 7:55pm. During the drive, the law enforcers searched a Chattogram-bound truck that was being loaded with shrimps injected with the jelly-like substance. Later, representatives of FIQC Khulna fined Abdur Rahman and Faruk Tk30,000, Sabbir Transport Tk50,000, Jamuna Jafar Fish Tk25,000 and Monowara Jafar Fish Tk25,000 for their involvement in filling the shrimps with the jelly-like substance. The seized shrimps were later destroyed. Also read: 700 kgs of shrimp injected with jelly like substance seized in Chandpur

A case has been filed against a journalist under the Digital Security Act (DSA) over publishing a report on a local UP member in Sadar upazila of Thakurgaon. The accused is Nabin Hasan, Thakurgaon district correspondent of DBC Television and Daily Manabkantha. On Tuesday, Anwara Begum, reserved female ward member of Chilarang union of the upazila, filed the case at Thakurgaon Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate court following a report on the UP member published on an online portal DBC Times. Later, Thakurgaon Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate S Ramesh Kumar Daga directed the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) to investigate the matter. READ: Bagerhat lawyer sent to jail under DSA Meanwhile, the accused journalist said he has been mentioned as Thakurgaon correspondent of DBC Times in the case statement. But he is a Thakurgaon correspondent for DBC Television, not DBC Times. Thakurgaon PBI Additional Superintendent of Police ABM Rezaul Islam said they haven’t received the court order yet in this regard. “If received, we will investigate and submit a report to the court.”

 An elderly man was charred to death in a fire that broke out at a house in the Dhumpara area of Middle Halishahar in Chattogram on Wednesday. The identity of the deceased could not be known immediately. Farooq Hossain Sikder, assistant director of Chattogram Divisional Fire Service, said the blaze began in the house around 12pm and spread quickly. Read: Gazipur yarn godown fire under control On information, three fire tenders were rushed to the spot. After the flames were doused, the firemen recovered the charred body of the man, he added. A probe has been ordered to ascertain the exact cause of the fire, the officer said.

The overall flood situation in Sylhet district showed no signs of improvement on Wednesday, with some rivers still flowing above the danger level. Officials said that all the rivers of the district are full to the brim due to the onrush of hilly waters from the upstream and incessant rains over the past several days. The Surma and the Kushiara, in particular, are flowing above the danger level.

A fire that broke out at a yarn godown in the Chandra area of Kaliakoir upazila on Wednesday morning was brought under control within one and a half hours, officials said. The blaze started around 9.30am and was brought under control around 11am, said Abdul Hamid Mia, deputy director of Gazipur fire service. Read: 11 cows burnt in Nawabganj farm fire "As many as six 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.