Six troops die in burst during drill

Two army men and four BGB personnel died on Wednesday after a mortar shell exploded during a training session at Shaheed Salauhddin Cantonment at Tangail’s Ghatail.

The explosion also left 10 injured.

The military’s media wing, the Inter Services Public Relations Directorate’s (ISPR) Assistant Director Noor Islam told bdnews24.com that the shell went off around 11:30am during the exercise.

Five of the victims died on the spot while they were trying to fire an 82mm mortar shell, Ghatail Police Station OC Fazlul Kabir told bdnews24.com.

He said those who died there were identified as the army’s Senior Warrant Officer for the 4th East Bengal Regiment ‘Manju’, 35, Warrant Officer of the 20th East Bengal Regiment ‘Parvez’, 46, and Border Guard Bangladesh troopers Lance Nayek Mohammad Ali, Sepoys Abu Sufian and Ekramul Haque.

Eleven others were sent to the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in Dhaka after they sustained severe injuries at the time.

They are – BGB officer Maj SM Farhaduzzaman, Dinajpur Sector BGB sepoys Mohammad Ali Jinnah, ‘Palash’, ‘Anwar’, ‘Firoz’, ‘Riaz’, ‘Altabur’, ‘Aziz’, ‘Jahid’, ‘Shahjahan’ and ‘Ajaber’.

Of them, Jinnah died around 11pm Wednesday at CMH, BGB spokesperson Muhsin reza told bdnews24.com.

The mortar exploded at the heavy field firing range of Ghatail’s Military Training Zone, he said.

“This is BGB’s annual training. The training, which started on Feb 9, will continue until Feb 13.”

BGB men from Dinajpur’s 2nd Border Guard Battalion, 3rd Border Guard Battalion from Joypurhat and Fulbari’s 40th Border Guards were taking part in the training.

The first three BGB members who died had come from Joypurhat to attend the training, said Reza.

The two dead army personnel were their instructors, the ISPR said in a press release.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has mourned the deaths, expressing sympathy with the bereaved families.

She also ordered better treatment for those who were wounded in the explosion.