Two dies in two days
Staff Correspondent
A mild cold wave coupled with dense fog, sweeping over the country since Friday, almost paralysed life and disrupted road and river communications across the country.
Two elderly people have died due to biting cold in separate places of the northern district of Nilphamari in the last two days till Saturday.
Besides, cold-related diseases like diarrhoea have broken out in different places of the country. The people affected with cold-related diseases were seen rushing to hospitals.
‘The mild cold spell started on Friday in different parts of the country including Rajshahi, Srimangal and Comilla,’ an official of the Bangladesh Meteorological Department told New Age.
‘The persisting mild cold wave results from the impact of a sub-continental ridge now existing over the west Bengal and its adjoining area,’ he said.
The lowest temperature of the country was on Saturday recorded at 8 degrees Celsius at Rajshahi and Srimangal, the Dhaka met office said adding, ‘The cold spell might continue for the next two or three days.’
The New Age correspondent in Manikganj reports: Several hundred vehicles got stranded at Paturia and Daulatdia terminals as ferry service on Paturia-Daulatdia and Paturia-Kazirhat routes remained suspended for about eight hours due to dense fog.
Sources at the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation said ferry service was suspended from 2:00am to 10:00am, bringing traffic to a complete halt.
Thousands of passengers, particularly women and children, suffered a lot.
Two ferries — Shah Mokhdum and Amanat Shah with vehicles — had to anchor in the mid river for hours while several other ferries stranded at the Paturia, Daulatdia and Kazirhat ghats, the sources said.
The suspension of the ferries caused a snarl-up of vehicles stretching about four kilometres on the road to Paturia Ghat at about 5:00pm Saturday.
New Age correspondent in Barisal said the cold spell and dense fog over the southern region has delayed movement of water and road transports towards the region for hours since early Saturday.
Thousands of passengers stranded at different points of their routes amid dense fog and unusual cold spells of 9.5 degree Celsius, the lowest in this season in the region.
Ferry service from Mawa, Paturia, Charjanajat and Dauladia terminals was suspended from 1:00 early Saturday to 9:30am. More than 1,000 vehicles got stranded.
More than 200 water transports, including cargo, tanker and passenger-carrying vessels, plying 28 routes in the southern region from Dhaka and Barisal with more than 20,000 passengers and goods, have remained stranded in different places from Chandpur to Hizla channel on Meghna and its branch rivers since 1:30am early Saturday.
Courtesy: newagebd.com
