2 killed in landslide
At least two people were killed and several others injured in a landslide during an illegal hill cutting in Companiganj upazila of Sylhet yesterday, said police.
However, local sources said the death toll was six -- all of them were cutting the hill to dig out stone.
The Daily Star could not independently verify the figure.
The two victims are Abdul Quddus and Khokon, of Purbo Dhalpur village in Netrakona, said Sugyan Chakma, additional superintendent (media) of Sylhet police.
The incident happened at Matiar Tila, a part of Shah Arefin Tila in Bholaganj area of the upazila.
The hillock used to be leased as a stone quarry to stone extractors. Following a writ petition of Bangladesh Environment Lawyers Association (Bela), the High Court ordered stopping of the leasing system and illegal hill cutting in 2012.
But a syndicate of local influentials continued hill cutting and extracting stones, claiming them as lessee.
After the landslide around 6:00am yesterday, locals claimed that at least six workers were killed.
They also alleged that bodies of the other victims were kept hidden by the stone traders.
Quoting some local stone workers, Shah Md Jamal Uddin, chairman of Paschim Islampur union in Companiganj, said some 13 workers were extracting stone from the spot, cutting hill. Landslide killed six of them.
He said, “At least eight incidents of landslide happened in the area in the last six months, injuring many workers, but the extractors hid the incidents."
Nasreen Jahan Fatema, vice-chairman of Companiganj upazila, also claimed that six people were killed in the landslide.
Seeking anonymity, a worker told The Daily Star that three of his friends from Dirai upazila of Sunamganj were extracting stone from the spot where the landslide happened.
All his friends went missing after the accident, he claimed.
Abdul Hasib, a health assistant at Companiganj Upazila Health Complex, said he found three bodies on the spot.
ASP Sugyan told this newspaper that police could not be sure about how many people were killed. A police team with detectives went to the spot to know about the death toll.
The death toll might rise as he heard that about six workers died on the spot and some bodies disappeared from the spot, he added.
ONE MORE DEATH
A worker was killed when a big chunk of mud fell on him at Lobhachhara stone quarry in Kanaighat upazila yesterday around 10:00am.
The dead, Suhel Ahmed, 25, was the son of Abul Kashem of Majertek village in Bishwambharpur upazila in Sunamganj.
Humayun Kabir, officer-in-charge of Kanaighat Police Station, said some workers, including Suhel, were extracting stone from the quarry near the Lobha river.
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