United News of Bangladesh

The decomposed body of a six-year-old girl, who had been missing for five days, was recovered from a jute field in Kishoreganj's Sadar upazila on Friday morning. The body was found in a field locally known as Bairagidubi Beel The body of the child, identified as Rouza Moni, daughter of Suman Mia of Char Maria village under Maria Union in the upazila. Locals spotted the body and informed the police, who later recovered it. Two cousin sisters drown in water pit in Kishoreganj Abdullah Al Mamun, officer-in-charge of Kishoreganj Sadar Model Police Station, said Rouza had gone missing on Sunday afternoon while playing in front of her house. Police have detained one suspect, identified as Russel Mia, for questioning in connection with the incident. The body has been sent to the hospital morgue for autopsy and further action would be taken based on the post-mortem report and ongoing investigation, he added.

A fire broke out at Zant Accessories factory in Karnaphuli Export Processing Zone (KEPZ) in Chattogram's Patenga area on Friday afternoon, but it was quickly brought under control. According to the Chattogram Divisional Fire Service control room telephone operator Mozammel, the blaze erupted around 3pm, prompting the deployment of eight fire-fighting units from various stations, including Karnaphuli, EPZ, and Agrabad. Gomti River swells in Cumilla, chars submerged He said that the units worked promptly to douse the flames, and the fire was brought under control by around 4:30pm. The exact cause of the fire and the extent of damage could not be immediately confirmed.

An ousted leader of the Jubo Dal was shot and hacked to death by unidentified assailants in Khulna city’s Daulatpur area on Friday, police and eyewitnesses said. The deceased, Molla Mahbubur Rahman, was former vice-president of the Daulatpur Thana unit of Jubo Dal. The incident took place around noon in front of his house at Maheshwarpasha Paschimpara under Daulatpur Police Station, said OC Mir Atahar Ali of the station. According to eyewitnesses, Mahbub was cleaning his private car when three men arrived on a motorcycle and opened fire at him. As he fell to the ground, the attackers hacked him and severed the tendons in his legs before fleeing the scene. Incessant rain floods Khulna city, adjacent areas Locals said Mahbub got increasingly unruly after August 5 last year and was allegedly  involved in a feud with a rival group over drug peddling in the area He had reportedly been attacked several times in the past. The OC said they are investigating whether the murder was the result of that conflict. “Four bullet casings were recovered from the spot, and a drive is underway to arrest those involved,” he added. Mahbub came to public attention on February 18 this year during a clash between students and political activists at Khulna University of Engineering and Technology (KUET), when a photo of him brandishing a machete went viral. He was expelled from the party later that night but continued participating in political activities. The victim was the son of Md Abdul Karim Molla of Maheshwarpasha Paschimpara in Khulna.

Tensions have gripped people residing in Majhirghat area under Purba Naodoba union of Zanjira upazila at Shariatpur district as fresh river erosions have taken a serious turn at the embankment to protect the Padma Bridge. Locals said cracks became visible beneath the surface and caused the collapse of around 70 metres of the embankment into the river within hours on Thursday. This comes just days after similar erosion in the area forcing many people to move their shops and establishments in a hurry.   Local representatives urged the residents to relocate them considering the situation. As news of the fresh erosion spread, panic-stricken residents rushed to move their belongings, including household items and shop inventories, using vans and other means. Feni’s low-lying areas disappear under rising waters leaving no land in sight Over the past 48 hours, around 300 metres of the Padma Bridge protection embankment and more than 20 homes and shops have been devoured by the river, affecting over a hundred families. Additionally, some residents have taken refuge with relatives while others were left homeless and forced to live under the open sky. Meanwhile, the Water Development Board (WDB) has started dumping geo-bags along the riverbank to halt the erosion, with nearly 2,500 geo-bags deployed so far. District WDB’s Additional Chief Engineer Shahjahan Siraj instructed the agencies concerned to take immediate measures to address the issue after visiting the spot.    Frustrated locals said the authorities make promises during every erosion season, but no permanent solution is implemented. “If this situation continues, one day the entire village may vanish from the map,” said a concerned resident.

Incessant rains for the past seven days spawned by the active monsoon has caused severe waterlogging across various parts of Bhola, disrupting the normal life of people. Besides, vast tracts of land of Aman seedbeds have been damaged and fish from numerous ponds and enclosures have been washed away during the rainfall, incurring huge financial losses to the farmers. Due to inclement weather, triggered by the depression in Bay of Bengal, Bhola has experienced persistent heavy rainfall throughout the past week. Floods submerge Feni villages again; Army joins rescue efforts Md Moniruzzaman, an official of Bhola Meteorological Office, said the Met office has recorded 397.2 mm of rainfall in the past seven days, including 91.3 mm in the last 24 hours until 6am on Thursday. Besides, the low-lying areas of the district have been inundated, creating immense hardship for the residents. Eight villages of Monpura upazila have been submerged, leaving several thousand people stranded. Besides, a number of areas including Ishwarganj, Daserhat, North Sakuchia and Rahmanpur in Monpura have been particularly affected with extensive damage to fish enclosures, livestock, and Aman seedbeds. Local people said tidal waters coupled with nonstop rain have inundated farmlands in Madanpur of Daulatkhan upazila and Kachia Majher Char in Sadar upazila of the district. Farmers are unable to transplant seedlings despite preparing the fields. Nasir Uddin Shikdar from Tobgi area of Madanpur said they have been stranded for the last several days. “We can’t take out our cattle or poultry and there’s no way to cut grass from the submerged fields,” he said. Shafik Majhi from Char Padma added, “Life has come to a standstill. We can’t move due to the non-stop rain.” Farmers from different unions, including Md Mohsin of Char Kali and Ruhul Amin Miji of Rajapur, said their Aman seedbeds are submerged and they are unable to irrigate the fields. Mosalha Uddin Majhi from Kolatoli said roads and fields are underwater. “We have no work. We're running our households on loans,” he added. Md Khairul Islam Mallik, deputy director of the Department of Agricultural Extension, Bhola, said a total of 500 to 600 hectares of Aman seedbeds and around 700 hectares of summer vegetables are feared to be affected. "We’ll get a clearer picture once the water recedes," he said. Biswajit Kumar Deb, Bhola District fisheries Officer, said about 250 hectares of fish enclosures and 400 hectares of ponds have been flooded. “Preliminary estimates suggest losses of at least Tk 11 crore, including Tk 8.5 crore worth of fish washed away and Tk 2.5 crore in infrastructural damage,” he said. Meanwhile, passenger vessel movement on 10 inland water routes, including Bhola-Lakshmipur, Monpura-Dhaka and Hatiya-Dhaka, remained suspended for the seventh consecutive day due to the inclement weather. Md Jasim Uddin, Transport Inspector at Bangladesh Inland and Water Transport Authority (BIWTA), said the suspension of launch and sea truck services has caused immense suffering to commuters. However, ferry operations on the Bhola-Ilisha route remain normal.  

A total of 14 new COVID-19 cases were reported in Bangladesh in the last 24 hours till Thursday morning, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). With the latest figure, the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the country has risen to 20, 52,217. No new deaths from the virus were reported in the last 24 hours, keeping the total fatalities in the country unchanged at 29,524. However, a total of 25people died of the Covid-19 till July 7 since January of the year. A total of 281 samples were tested during the latest reporting period [between 8am Wednesday and 8am Thursday], resulting in a daily positivity rate of 4.98 per cent. Covid-19: Two more deaths, 7 new cases reported in 24hrs The overall positivity rate stands at 13.04 per cent till now, while the fatality rate based on detected cases remains at 1.44 per cent.

Low-lying char areas in Cumilla have been inundated as water level of the Gomti River continued to rise amid heavy rains. The water level reached 9.68 metres on Thursday morning, up from 8.8 metres recorded on Wednesday evening, said Khan Mohammad Waliuzzaman, executive engineer of Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB), Cumilla office. The water level is now just 1.68 metres below the danger mark, he added. Cumilla recorded 86 millimetres of rainfall in last 24 hours till 9am on Thursday, according to Md Arifur Rahman, in-charge of the local weather office.

Three members of a family sustained serious burn injuries in an explosion apparently from gas leak at a building in the capital’s Jatrabari area early Thursday. The injured were Ripon, 40, who suffered 70 percent burns, his wife Eti, 30, who received 45 percent burns and their daughter Rafia, aged around 3 to 5 years, who sustained 90 percent burns, said  Dr Shawon Bin Rahman, Resident Surgeon at National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery. The explosion occurred around 1:40am on the ground floor flat of a six-storey building on  Shahid Faruk Road, leaving them injured. All three are currently undergoing treatment at the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery. The fire broke out reportedly after a mosquito coil was lit triggering an explosion believed to have resulted from accumulated gas inside the flat.

Four workers died and another fell sick allegedly due to toxic gas inhalation while working inside a septic tank at Harinchhara Tea Garden in Sreemangal upazila of Moulvibazar district on Wednesday night. The deceased were identified as Rana Nayek, 17, Shrabon Nayek, 19, Krishna Rabidas, 20, and Nipen Fulmali, 27 — all workers of Harinchhara Tea Garden under Finlay Tea Company. Aminul Islam, officer-in-charge of Sreemangal Police Station, said five victims were rescued in critical condition and rushed to Moulvibazar 250-bed hospital where doctors declared four of them dead. Another worker, Rabi Banarjee, 20, was initially given primary treatment and later shifted to Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital for advanced care. Dr Pronoy Kanti Das, superintendent of the Moulvibazar 250-bed hospital, said apparently the four died from toxic gas poisoning while working inside the septic tank. Police said legal steps will be taken.

Three people including a child were killed and 50 others injured after a bus plunged into a pond at Deuti Beltola in Pirgachha upazila of Rangpur district on Wednesday night. The identities of the deceased could not be confirmed yet. The bus which was carrying extra passengers veered off the road and fell into a roadside pond, leaving three people dead on the spot around 11:30 pm, said Pirgachha Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Nure Alam Siddiqui He said the injured were taken to Rangpur Medical College Hospital (RMCH) for treatment. The accident occurred when the victims were returning from a post-wedding reception. Witnesses said the bus was carrying 50 to 70 Hindu community members from the Najirerhat area of Rangpur City Corporation to a post-wedding feast in Beltoli area of Sundarganj upazila in Gaibandha district. The accident took place on the return journey near Jabbar's shop in Beltola Bazar on the Pirgachha-Sundarganj regional highway. Pirgachha Fire Service and police rushed to the spot and began rescue operations with the help of locals.