Flood death toll hits 100

With floodwater continuing to rise in many northern districts, at least seven people, including five children, drowned in floodwater in Jamalpur and Lalmonirhat yesterday.

According to the Directorate General of Health Services, a total of 104 people have died in floods and other natural disasters this month so far. The causes of their deaths include drowning and waterborne diseases.

Meanwhile, the Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC) in Dhaka said the overall flood situation in Kurigram, Gaibandha, Jamalpur, Bogura, Tangail, Sirajganj and Manikganj may deteriorate slightly in the next 24 hours (until 9:00am today).

In Jamalpur, five children, including two siblings, drowned in a canal in Panchashi village of Sarishabari upazila yesterday noon when a boat carrying them capsized.

The deceased are Suborna Aktar, 17, her sister Jhona Aktar, 10, cousin Antara, 14, Rodshi, 7, and Jannat, 7. All of them were from Batikamari village of the same upazila.

Suborna was an HSC student at Advocate Matiur Rahman College in Sarishabari, while Jhorna and Antara were fourth and 10th graders at a local madrasa. Rodshi and Jannat were class-I students at a local government primary school, said the victims’ family members.

Quoting locals, police said about 10 children, including the five victims, were traveling on a small boat for a pleasure trip. They started their journey from Kalikapur village around noon.

After around half an hour, the boat reached nearby Panchashi village and they were having merriment. At one stage, their movement upset the balance of the boat, causing it to capsize, said Sarishabari OC Majedur Rahman.

The five, who did not know how to swim, drowned while the others managed to swim ashore, the OC added.

Hearing the news, some villagers rushed to the spot, dived into the canal and tried their best to save the children, but in vain. They, however, managed to recover the bodies.

In Lalmonirhat, two women drowned in floodwaters while they were harvesting jute leaves at Sati Beel in Aditmari upazila.

Deceased Mohsena Begum, 40, and Rahima Begum, 42, were from Arazi Dewdoba village in the upazila.

Their family members said the duo went to the beel in the morning to harvest jute leaves. As they were late to return home, family members started looking for them, but they remained untraced.

At one stage, the family members informed police about the matter and the law enforcers subsequently informed the fire service.

A team of fire service rushed to the spot and recovered their bodies after around three-hour, said Aditmari OC Saiful Islam.

Enamul Haque, Aditmari fire station master, said they might have drowned due to strong currents from the nearby Sati river.In another incident, the body of an unidentified man, aged about 45, was recovered from the Teesta river in Lalmonirhat’s Kalmati area on Wednesday afternoon, said Mahfuz Alam, OC of Lalmonirhat Sadar Police Station.