10 killed in funeral stampede in Bangladesh
(Eds: Updating with more details)By Anisur RahmanDhaka, Dec 18 (PTI) At least 10 persons, mostly Hindus,were killed and nearly 50 others injured today in a stampedein Bangladesh during the post-funeral prayer and feast of aformer Chittagong mayor, police said.
The tragedy happened in the Jamal Khan area at a memorialevent organised for the minority Hindu community, The DailyStar reported from the port city.
A police official said all of the dead were men who hadbeen attempting to attend the event.
The death toll is expected to rise as several others havebeen seriously injured in the incident at a convention centre,officials said.
"According to information we received, 10 people werekilled," a home ministry spokesman told PTI.
The scene of the tragedy was Rima Community Centre,where food was being served mostly for the Hindus as part ofthe Muslim rite of "Qul-khwani" (prayers for a departed soul)of former mayor and ruling Awami League leader ABM MohiuddinChowdhury, the spokesman said.
The incident happened at the entrance of the two-storeybuilding.
With the crowd swelling out of control, people jostledfor space on the ramp outside the entrance forcing somevisitors to fall only to be trampled on by those behind,Bdnews24 reported.
Reports from Chittagong suggest nine of the dead wereHindus with the 10th being a Buddhist.
The deceased were identified as Shudhir Das, Jhontu Das,Krishna Pada Da, Dipankar Das Rahul, Alak Bhowmik, Pradip Das,Liton Dey, Titu, Dhonashil, and Ahish Barua.
MohiuddinÂ’s family announced Taka 100,000 in compensationfor each of the families of the dead, said Awami League'sChittagong City unit Deputy Office Secretary JawaharlalHajari.
They will also receive an additional Taka 5,000 for thefuneral and the family will also bear the cost of treatmentfor those injured, said Hajari, who was in charge of the eventat the community centre.
Thousands of people joined the "Qul-khwani" stagedsimultaneously at 14 convention centres where lunch was servedas part of the rite.
Chowdhury, the Chittagong Metropolitan Awami Leaguechief, had served the city corporation for 16 years. He diedon Friday at the age of 73.
Stampedes during religious events are not rare inBangladesh. In 2015, two incidents left 37 people killed.
As many as 10 people, seven of them women, were killedduring a Hindu ritual bath in Narayanganj in March 2015.
In July, 27 people— all of them women and children—diedin Mymensingh where thousands of people had gathered for afree Zakat clothes giveaway. PTI UZM/AR AMS AKJAKJ.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.