United News of Bangladesh

The flood situation in some parts of Sylhet has worsened, with the rise in water levels of the Kushiara river in the past 48 hours, officials have said. According to the local Water Development Board, the Kushiara was flowing above the danger level at various points on Friday morning. Zakiganj, Beanibazar, Gopalganj, Phenchuganj, Osmaninagar, Biswanath, South Surma of Sylhet, Borolekha, Kulaura, Rajnagar, Juri, and Jagannathpur of Sunamganj have been inundated by the waters of the Kushiara. Read: Flood situation in 6 Sylhet upazilas takes a turn for the worse On the other hand, flood waters have receded in many areas of the district, including Sylhet city, officials said.  Although the water levels in the Surma river have decreased in the last four days, it was still flowing above the danger mark till Friday morning. Sylhet City Corporation chief engineer Nur Azizur Rahman said that relief materials have been distributed among the flood-hit people. "Ward councillors are coordinating the distribution."

Water levels in the flood-hit Kurigram district have started receding, officials said on Friday. While the Teesta and the Dharla are flowing below the danger mark, the Brahmaputra is still flowing at 5cm above the red level at Chilmari point, according to the Kurigram Water Development Board. With floodwaters receding, the miseries of the residents of the char areas in the district have increased. Read: A week on, flood-hit people of Kurigram cry for relief According to district administration sources, 328 educational institutions have been shut for a week due to the ongoing floods. Besides, crops on 15,800 hectares of land have been damaged due to the floods. In many areas, the flood survivors are crying for relief. Apart from facing food crisis, they need pure drinking water, fuel and fodder. Many in remote areas have complained of not getting relief. People's representatives said it was not possible to reach everyone as relief was not commensurate with the demand. Read: Sufferings rise in flood-hit Kurigram Sadar Upazila Panchgachhi UP chairman Abdul Baten said that at least 5,000 poor families in his union were affected by the floods, "but so far, they have got nine metric tonnes of rice as relief. “Only 900 families can be provided with 10 kgs of rice.” However, Kurigram deputy commissioner Mohammad Rezaul Karim claimed there was adequate relief for the flood survivors. "Everyone will get relief in phases."

Seven people were killed and three others injured in separate road accidents in Naogaon and Sylhet on Friday morning, police said. In Naogaon, the accident occurred on the Naogaon-Rajshahi highway in Sadar upazila around 8am when a truck collided with a CNG-run auto-rickshaw. Five people, all occupants of the auto-rickshaw, died in the impact of the collision in the Bablatali area of the highway, said Nazrul Islam Jewel, officer-in-charge of Naogaon Sadar Model Police Station. Also read: Van driver killed in Kushtia road accident Cops couldn’t identify the deceased immediately. Meanwhile, in Sylhet, a woman and her son were killed when a truck hit a CNG-run auto-rickshaw in Companiganj at 6am. The deceased were identified as Hanufa Begum and her son, Emraj Mia, of the upazila, said police. The speeding truck crashed into the auto-rickshaw coming from the opposite direction in Telikhan of the upazila, leaving the mother-son duo dead on the spot and three others injured, Sukanta Chakraborty, officer-in-charge of Companiganj police station, said. The injured have been admitted to Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College and Hospital (SOMCH), he added. Also read: Driver, helper killed in Natore road accident The bodies will be handed over to the family members after completing legal formalities, said the OC. "We have seized the truck. But its driver and helper managed to escape."

The district administration in Sylhet has cancelled the inaugural ceremony of the much-awaited Padma Bridge in view of the devastating floods in the district. However, a discussion programme will be held in line with the main event of the opening ceremony scheduled to be held on the banks of the Padma river on Saturday (June 25). The main programme will be displayed on a big screen. Read: PM Hasina proposes river dredging jointly with India to overcome seasonal floods The decision was taken at a meeting on Thursday afternoon, officials said. Deputy commissioner Mojibur Rahman presided over the meeting, while Sylhet city Awami League president Masuk Uddin Ahmad, general secretary professor Zakir Hossain, district Awami League acting president Shafiqur Rahman Chowdhury, general secretary Nasir Uddin Khan and district press club president Al Azad, among others, were present.

A Kurigram court on Thursday sentenced six members of banned militant outfit Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) to death in a case filed over the murder of a freedom fighter. Kurigram District and Sessions Court Judge Abdul Mannan passed the order. The death row convicts are  Rajib Gandhi, Riazul Islam alias Mehedi, Firoz Hasan alias Mokhles, Mahabub Hasan Milon, and Abu Nasir alias Rubel and Golam Rabbani(absconding). Among the seven accused in this case, Saddam Hossain died in a gunfight with the law enforcers while the case was under trial. Also read: Rajshahi double murder: SC acquits two death-row convicts, commutes sentence of another On March 22, 2016, some militants attacked freedom fighter Hossain Ali, who converted to Christianity, when he was out on a morning walk in Kurigram town. After stabbing him with sharp weapons they exploded several cocktails and fled from the spot. His son Ruhul Amin Azad, next day filed two separate cases under the Explosive Substances Act. Also read: Police press charges against 29 Rohingyas in Mohib Ullah murder case On November 5 that year, a charge sheet  in these cases were submitted filed and the court framed charges on October 21, 2018.

The bodies of two indigenous men were recovered from the Kachalong river in Baghaichhari upazila of Rangamati district on Thursday morning, a day after they drowned in the river. The deceased were identified as Shukar Chakma, 32, and Chirojyoti Chakma, 42, of the upazila. Read:Flash flood submerges fresh areas in Sherpur; Child drowns Locals said the duo drowned while fishing in the river on Wednesday. The divers of fire service failed to rescue them after conducting an operation. Some residents of Rupkari union spotted Shukar’s body near Bijoy ghat area and Chirojyoti’s body in Golachhari area around 6am today, said Baghaichhari Upazila Nirbahi Officer Rumana Akhter. The bodies were handed over to their respective families after completing legal procedures, she added.

A 42-year-old Rohingya refugee was shot dead allegedly by assailants at Balukhali camp in Ukhiya of Cox’s Bazar on Wednesday evening. The deceased was identified as Mohammad Shah, a resident of Modhur Chhora camp-17 in Balukhali. Read: Rohingya boatman hacked to death in Cox's Bazar Deceased’s wife Sazeda Begum said that the assailants shot Mohammad Shah while he was talking over the phone near a shop in the camp in the Modhur Chhora area at 5pm on Wednesday and fled immediately. Later, he was rushed to Cox’s Bazar Sadar Hospital where doctors declared him dead on arrival, said Sheikh Md Ali, officer-in-charge of Ukhiya police station. The body was kept in the hospital morgue for an autopsy, he said. "Efforts are on to identify and nab the killers,” said the OC.

People in several flood-affected areas of Kurigram district are crying for relief as authorities scramble to help over two lakh stranded survivors even a week after the natural disaster. The Brahmaputra river is flowing 37 cm above the danger mark at Chilmari point while the Dharla river is flowing 20 cm above the danger mark at Setu point. Abdullah Al Mamun, executive engineer of Kurigram Water Development Board, said the flood situation in the district may improve in the next few days. Shahidul Islam, district education officer, said the educational activities of 65,000 students have been hampered due to the closure of 294 government primary schools in the district. Besides, 23 secondary schools, seven madrashas and a college are also shut due to the floods.

Telecom operators have swung into emergency mode to restore their networks in the three flood-affected districts of Bangladesh --Sylhet, Sunamganj and Netrakona. So far, cellular coverage has been restored at 1,166 of 2,528 sites in these districts, the Post and Telecommunication Ministry has said in a release. Read: Govt working to restore telecommunication in flood-hit areas Three telecom operators -- Internet Service Provider (ISP), Bangladesh Telecommunication Company Limited (BTCL) and Nationwide Telecommunication Transmission Network (NTTN) -- provide services in these three districts. The Bangladesh Telecommunication and Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has also set up a monitoring cell for the flood-hit areas.

A 24-year-old student of a private university allegedly committed suicide in his rented accommodation in the Sonadanga area of Khulna city on Wednesday. The deceased was identified as Promise Nager, a student of the journalism and mass communication department of Northern University and son of Jotirmoy Nager of Pirojpur district. Also read:25-year-old found dead at Khulna rehab centre Getting no response from Promise for a long time, other occupants of the house looked through the window of his room only to find him hanging from the ceiling fan around 6.30pm, said Nahid Hasan Mridha, officer-in-charge of Sonadanga Model Police Station. Later, they informed the landlord. Promise was rushed to Khulna Medical College and Hospital, where doctors declared him dead on arrival. Also read: Construction worker crushed under falling shaft of crane in Khulna "A probe is on," the OC said.