Cyclist electrocuted to death while crossing puddle in Dhaka’s Bangshal

Police have yet to confirm whether a power line fell into the water that accumulated after heavy rain in the capital

A man has been electrocuted to death after attempting to cycle across water that had accumulated at the Najira Bazar intersection in Dhaka’s Bangshal following heavy rain.

The victim was identified as 30-year-old Md Amin, an employee at a local bakery.

The incident occurred around 9am. Locals were able to recover the body and take it to Dhaka Medical College Hospital around 9:45am. There, a doctor on duty declared him dead, according to Md Rafiqul Islam, chief of Bangshal Police Station.

Rafiqul said he was unable to confirm whether a power line had torn and fallen into the water, leading to the death.

Citing the passersby who brought Amin to the hospital, Inspector Md Faruk, officer-in-charge of the DMCH Police Camp, said: “The man was riding his bicycle along Kazi Alauddin Road in Najira Bazar. Water had accumulated on the road after the rain. As he was moving, he suddenly fell in the water with his cycle. A few locals then pulled him out using bamboo sticks and brought him to the hospital. After he arrived, the doctor declared him dead.”

Witnesses say a power utility pole stands next to the spot where the incident occurred. However, they could not confirm whether the electrocution was due to some issue with the pole or something else.

Amin hailed from Pirojpur’s Bhandaria. His body has been kept at the DMCH morgue for autopsy, Inspector Faruk said.