|
21 die in accidents, 25 children in cold
A cold wave sweeping over northern and central Bangladesh, causing deaths and disrupting communications due to fog and poor visibility, looks set to continue, the met office said on Saturday.
The north was hardest hit. At least 21 people died in road accidents over 24 hours in Faridpur, while 25 children died of cold-related diseases over the last ten days in Rangpur alone.
Meanwhile, ferry services were disrupted at Mawa on Saturday.
The meteorological department said moderate to thick fog would build up again over north-western Bangladesh and elsewhere between midnight and morning Sunday.
Abdul Mannan, a senior meteorologist, told bdnews24.com that the cold wave might continue for at least two more days.
TRANSPORT DISRUPTION
Thick fog on Saturday disrupted ferry services on the Mawa-Kawrakandi route. Several ferries also remained stranded mid-river from 7.30am for around four hours, said officials.
Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC) official Abu Alam Hawladar said ferry crossings had to be suspended due to dense fog.
Train services between Khulna and Dinajpur also ground to a halt on Saturday as a Parbatipur-bound oil train derailed at a crossing in Joypurhat town.
Joypurhat stationmaster Abdul Jabbar said the train, carrying 1,350 tonnes of oil in 30 tankers, went off the tracks at 2.20pm.
However, GM Alamgir, information assistant of the Zia International Airport told bdnews24.com that air traffic had not been disrupted by fog till Saturday evening.
ACCIDENTS KILL 25
Two accidents in Faridpur district alone, on Friday and Saturday, claimed 21 lives.
Four people were killed and 13 injured when a private bus collided with an oil tanker on the Dhaka-Khulna highway on Saturday.
Also in Faridpur, on the same highway, another bus crash killed 17 passengers including three women and three children on New Year's Day.
In yet another accident, in Mymensingh on Friday, four people died and 10 were injured when a truck and a human hauler collided on the Fulpur-Sherpur road.
25 CHILDREN DIE
Cold diseases killed at least 25 children in Rangpur as temperatures plummeted to 10 degrees Celsius with cloudy skies and chilly winds on Saturday.
The cold can spread diseases like flu, pneumonia, other respiratory illnesses and cold diarrhoea of "epidemic proportions" if preventive measures are not taken, said Dr Reazul Islam, civil surgeon at Rangpur Medical College Hospital.
He told bdnews24.com that the district health department had issued a red alert at all upazila health complexes and hospitals.
Health workers were told to make the people aware of taking necessary precautions like wearing warm clothes and drinking warm water.
COLD TO CONTINUE
The met office, in its weather bulletin on Saturday, said the cold wave sweeping over the north and central regions would continue on Sunday.
Rajshahi and Dhaka divisions and the Jessore and Kushtia districts have been the hardest hit.
Moderate to thick fog may occur over the country till Sunday morning, met office said.
Night temperatures across the country may fall slightly, warned the met office.
Abdul Mannan, a meteorologist, said a westerly disturbance is currently prevailing over the Bay of Bengal.
The sky might remain cloudy across the country with intermittent rain due to the low over the bay, he said.
Source: bdnews24.com
|
News 
RSS