Bangladesh Social & Current Events

[ghazi52]

24 dead after bus falls into river while boarding ferry in Bangladesh​

A bus lost control near Daulatdia, overturned and sank 30 feet into a river, officials said Wed

Reuters
March 26, 2026

Relatives of a victim mourn after a bus plunged into the Padma River while attempting to board a ferry in Rajbari, Bangladesh, March 26, 2026. PHOTO: REUTERS

At least 24 people died after a passenger bus carrying around 40 passengers plunged into the Padma ‌River while attempting to board a ferry in Bangladesh, officials said on Thursday.

The accident occurred on Wednesday when the bus lost control approaching a ferry at Daulatdia ⁠in Rajbari district, about 100 kilometres from Dhaka. The bus overturned and sank nearly nine metres into the river, according to police and the Fire Service and Civil Defence.

Rescuers recovered 22 bodies from inside the submerged bus, including six men, 11 women ‌and ⁠five children, Fire Service official Talha Bin Zasim said.

Twenty-four people have been confirmed dead so far, including two women who died after being rescued, ⁠he said.

Four fire service units and 10 divers were leading the search and rescue efforts, supported by ⁠the army, police, coast guard and local authorities.

Officials fear more passengers may still be ⁠missing. Hundreds of people die each year in road and ferry accidents in Bangladesh.

 

[ghazi52]

Emergency jabs after 100 children die of suspected measles in a month in Bangladesh​

Koh Eweand
BBC Bangla

Measles is suspected to have killed more than 100 people, mostly children, across Bangladesh since 15 March

Bangladesh has launched an emergency vaccination campaign after a fast-spreading measles outbreak is suspected of killing more than 100 people, mostly children, in what may be the country's most lethal wave of the disease in recent history.

The campaign, which began on Sunday, comes amid more than 7,500 suspected measles cases since 15 March, according to health ministry data.

More than 900 of these cases have been confirmed - a sharp increase from 2025, when just 125 measles cases were recorded over the entire year, local media report.

While Bangladesh has long vaccinated children against the highly contagious disease, the recent outbreak has exposed gaps in its programme, raising concern.

"Vaccines are foundational to child survival," Rana Flowers, the Unicef representative in Bangladesh, said in a statement on Sunday, adding that the current measles outbreak was "putting thousands of children, especially the youngest and most vulnerable, at serious risk."

 

[ghazi52]

Why is there a spike in measles in Bangladesh?​

In Bangladesh, a nation of 170 million people, routine measles vaccines are given to children as young as nine months old.

But Shahriar Sajjad, deputy director of the Health Department, told BBC Bangla that about one-third of those infected in the recent outbreak were under nine months old.

The infections of these young infants "who are not yet eligible for routine vaccination, are especially alarming", said Flowers from Unicef.

On top of routine vaccinations, Bangladesh conducts special measles vaccination campaigns every four years.

But these campaigns haven't gone according to plan.

There have been no special measles vaccination campaigns since 2020, first because of Covid then because of the "political situation", Sajjad told BBC Bangla.

 

[ghazi52]

Bangladesh experienced political upheaval in 2024, when massive anti-government protests toppled its long-ruling leader Sheikh Hasina. An interim government took over after Hasina's ousting, and only in February this year did the country elect a new government.

A measles vaccination campaign was supposed to be held in April this year, "but it did not happen", Sajjad said.

A health official said procurement issues had led to a shortage of vaccines, including for measles, the Daily Star reported.

Many in Bangladesh have blamed the vaccine shortages on the former interim government, which oversaw a new vaccine procurement system.

But measles resurgences "are typically the result of these accumulated gaps rather than a single factor", Unicef said in its statement.

"Bangladesh has a strong history of high immunisation coverage, but even small disruptions can lead to the gradual accumulation of immunity gaps over time."

 

[ghazi52]

What is Bangladesh doing about it?​

Along with international partners like Unicef and the World Health Organization (WHO), Bangladesh has launched an emergency vaccination campaign for measles and rubella , a milder disease with similar symptoms to measles.

This campaign, which started on Sunday, will be rolled out across 30 upazilas - sub-districts in Bangladesh - and targets more than 1.2 million children between six months and five years old.

The campaign will prioritise "children who have missed routine immunisation and are most vulnerable to severe illness and complications", according to Unicef.

There will also be a particular focus on Dhaka, the densely populated capital, and Cox's Bazar, home to crowded Rohingya refugee camps, Unicef said.

Besides the vaccination drive, health authorities are also publishing infographics that teach people how to identify and prevent measles.

 

[ghazi52]

What is measles?​

Measles is a highly contagious airborne disease, which can lead to severe complication and death.

Common symptoms include:

• high fever
• sore, red and watery eyes
• coughing
• sneezing

In 2024, an estimated 95,000 people were killed by measles around the world - most of them children under five years old, according to the WHO.

Measles can be prevented through vaccination - but according to the WHO, 95% of the population has to be vaccinated in order to stop the disease from spreading.

Are measles cases rising around the world?​

Over the past two decades, the number of global measles cases and deaths resulting from the disease have fallen sharply.

There were 11 million cases of measles worldwide in 2024 - a significant decrease from 38 million in 2000, according to the WHO.

But the organisation has warned about a resurgence in parts of the world as vaccination rates fall. In 2024 and 2025, the world saw the highest number of measles outbreaks in more than 20 years, according to medical journal The Lancet.

 

[ghazi52]

BD police arrest Hasina-era former parliament speaker​

Chaudhury has not been seen in public since a deadly mass uprising in 2024 forced Hasina from power

AFP
April 08, 2026

Former Jatiya Sangsad Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury. PHOTO: DAILY SUN

Bangladeshi police arrested the former parliament speaker on Tuesday on attempted murder charges, marking the first detention of a prominent figure from Sheikh Hasina’s toppled government under the newly elected one.

Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, the South Asian nation’s first female speaker, who also served as minister in Hasina’s administration, was arrested at a relative’s residence and held in custody.

She has denied all charges and “it is absurd to suggest that she was involved in an attempted murder”, her lawyer Shamim Al Sayeed told AFP, adding that the court had rejected their petition for bail.

Chaudhury had not been seen in public since a deadly mass uprising in 2024 forced Hasina from power.

She joins scores of members of Hasina’s now-banned Awami League to be arrested since her downfall in cases relating to the failed crackdown on the uprising.

 

[LeonBlack08]

PM urges armed forces to protect country's sovereignty | At a Glance

DHAKA, April 12, 2026 (BSS) - Praising the armed forces for their contributions to safeguarding national security, Prime Minister Tarique

www.bssnews.net

 

[ghazi52]

250 missing after migrant boat sinks in Indian Ocean​

Kelly Ngand, Sardar Ronie,
BBC Dhaka

Chaideer Mahyuddin / AFP

Many Rohingya have been fleeing by sea, as seen in this 2024 file photo of a boat carrying Rohingya refugees in Indonesia
About 250 Rohingya and Bangladeshis, including children, are missing after their boat capsized last week in the Andaman Sea, according to the United Nations' refugee and migration agencies.

The trawler, which had departed from Bangladesh and was bound for Malaysia, "reportedly sank due to heavy winds, rough seas and overcrowding", the agencies said.

It is unclear when the boat capsized, but on 9 April, a Bangladesh-flagged vessel rescued nine people who were "clinging to drums and wooden debris" to stay afloat, the coast guard said.

Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya, one of Myanmar's many ethnic minorities, have been fleeing across the border into Bangladesh since a deadly crackdown in 2017.

The Rohingya, who are primarily Muslim, are denied citizenship by the government of Myanmar, a Buddhist-majority country.

Poor living conditions in Bangladesh however have also prompted some Rohingya to make precarious journeys on overcrowded vessels to Malaysia, a Muslim country which some envision to be a safe haven in the region.

Quoting those rescued after last week's incident, a Coast Guard member, who asked not to be named, told the BBC that they had left Bangladesh for Malaysia on April 4 "in the hope of a better life."

He said that on April 7 or 8, their boat was caught in a storm.

"They were left floating at sea for nearly two days, holding onto drums and pieces of wood," he added.

As the Bangladesh-flagged Motor Tanker Meghna Pride was sailing from Bangladesh to Indonesia, its crew found the survivors around 2 AM on April 11 and brought them on board. Later, it was learned that they were from both Bangladeshi and Rohingya communities in Cox's Bazar.

The ship later entered Bangladesh waters and handed them over to the Coast Guard vessel "Mansur Ali."

 

[LeonBlack08]

Looks like BNP is continuing the pursuit of laundered money recovery that the Interim Government had started. Good news for Bangladesh if they keep at it.

 

[ghazi52]

Bangladesh measles crisis deepens as child deaths reach 194​

'Our target is to vaccinate 18 million children,' health department spokesman Zahid Raihan says

AFP
April 23, 2026

Bangladesh has recorded 194 child deaths due to measles in an outbreak that began last month, while the number of suspected child cases has exceeded 28,000, government data showed on Thursday.

Between three and five children have died from the disease every day for the past week. Five children died on Wednesday, including three in the capital, Dhaka, and another five on Thursday.

The government said it has launched a robust nationwide vaccination programme since the outbreak began on March 15, the worst in the South Asian nation for decades.

"Our target is to vaccinate 18 million children," health department spokesman Zahid Raihan told AFP.

"So far, we have covered a little over one-fourth of our target, and it may take another two weeks to see the impact of this vaccination programme."

Md Sajib and Afsin Meem lost their three-year-old son, their only child, on Tuesday, and a photograph of a relative carrying his tiny body along a road has been shared extensively on news sites.

"After noticing a rash on our son's skin, we rushed him to the hospital. Five days later, we brought him back dead," Sajib told AFP. "He had a high fever and breathing difficulties."

 

[ghazi52]

Measles is one of the world's most contagious diseases, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), and is spread through coughs and sneezes.

It can affect people of any age but is most common among children, and can cause complications that include brain swelling and severe respiratory problems.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, speaking in parliament on Wednesday, blamed the previous government of Sheikh Hasina, who was toppled in a 2024 revolution, and a subsequent caretaker administration for failing to vaccinate the population.

Bangladesh has made significant advancements in vaccinations to tackle infectious diseases, but a measles drive that was due in June 2024 was delayed by the deadly uprising that toppled Hasina.

"The autocratic government that we ousted, together with political parties both inside and outside parliament, did not procure vaccines," said Rahman, who took power in February.

Rahman said Bangladesh was receiving assistance from the UN children's agency, but there was a shortage of testing kits.

 

[ghazi52]

Roommate charged with murder in deaths of University of South Florida doctoral students​

Hisham Abugharbieh was arrested after standoff with police and charged with killing Zamil Limon and Nahida Bristy

Guardian staff and agencies
Sat 25 Apr 2026

The man who was detained after two Bangladeshi doctoral students went missing from the University of South Florida (USF) has been booked with two counts of murder.

Hisham Abugharbieh faces two counts of premeditated murder in the first degree with a weapon in the deaths of Zamil Limon and Nahida Bristy, the Hillsborough county sheriff’s office announced on Saturday.

Abugharbieh was the off-campus apartment roommate of Limon, whose remains were discovered on Friday morning on the Howard Frankland Bridge over Tampa Bay. Bristy remained missing as of Saturday morning – nonetheless, unspecified evidence presented to the local state attorney’s office led to Abugharbieh being booked with her murder in addition to Limon’s.

 

[AbuShalehRumi]

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A group of courageous young men have fulfilled the dream of martyred Omar Farooq Tripura, a new Muslim who dedicated his life to spreading the message of Islam in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh.
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Omar Farooq Tripura, a convert to Islam, worked tirelessly to propagate the oneness of Allah in the hill region. He had begun constructing a small mosque built from wood and tin — a humble effort that ultimately cost him his life.
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On June 18, 2021, he was shot dead allegedly on the orders of india and awami fascist league supported Santu Larma, leader of the armed separatist group PCJSS (Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti), due to his efforts in building the mosque.
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To this day, justice has not been served. Not a single accused has been arrested in connection with his murder.
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However, the spirit of Omar Farooq Tripura lives on. The small wood-and-tin mosque he began has now been transformed into a proper, visible mosque building by a group of dedicated young volunteers — a living tribute to the man who gave his life for it.
May Allah, through the blessing of this mosque, grant our dear brother Farooq a place among the honored guests of Jannah. Ameen...
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We did it folks. His legacy will live on...

 

[ghazi52]

Heat exhaustion hits Bangladesh garment workers amid power cuts​

Since late April, the garment industry belt around the capital Dhaka has endured alternating rain and scorching heat.