One man has been killed and 100 others injured in violence which flared in flooded areas of Bangladesh, according to government spokesmen and press reports Saturday, reported (AFP)
In southwestern Chuadanga district, one man was killed Friday during clashes between rival groups over aid distribution, the Independent newspaper said, quoting police and witnesses.
Lokman Ali was trying to break up the fight when he was struck on the head and died, police said.
Officials in Chuadanga, one of 12 southwestern districts hit by floodwaters that spilled over from India, could not be reached for comment Saturday.
Elsewhere, in the coastal district of Satkhira, rivals groups were said by the daily Jugantor newspaper to have clashed Friday over where an embankment should be breached in the second such incident this week.
Around 100 people, including policemen, were injured in the violence. The embankments have been blamed for the slow drainage of floodwaters.
A local official in Satkhira told AFP by telephone calm had been restored and Bangladeshi President Shahabuddin Ahmed was touring the area to see for himself the ongoing aid operation.
The official added: "Draining out of the water is a major problem here and engineers are still working on a strategy to find the best solution."
Meanwhile, conditions were improving in all flood-hit districts except Satkhira, where floodwaters were still flowing through to the Bay of Bengal, officials in Dhaka said.
After three weeks of flooding, the official death toll stood at 32, while unofficial estimates put the number of dead at more than 100.
Most have died from snakebites, drowning and gastro-intestinal diseases – (AFP)
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