Two boys die of pesticide poisoning at Bashundhara home

The boys were poisoned after a pest control company worked on their home

A pesticide used by a pest control service company poisoned two boys at a home in the Bashundhara Residential Area who later died in hospital.

A nine-year-old child died on Sunday morning, while a 15-year-old boy died in the early hours of Monday, said Shariful Islam, an inspector of Bhatara police.

The children were the sons of businessman Mobarak Hossain Tushar, who is a former president of Dhaka Uttara Royal Club. His daughter, who had also fallen sick, is still fighting for her life in hospital.

Tushar tasked the pest control company to remove all insects from his home. The company worked on the house on Saturday and asked the family to return two to three hours later, Shariful said.

“The family entered the home nine hours later, but were still poisoned. Each of them experienced symptoms such as diarrhoea and vomiting. Hours after burying the younger son, the older son died in the small hours of Monday.”

The body of the elder son, who died at Evercare Hospital, was sent to the Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College and Hospital for autopsy.

Citing the family, police said the company used aluminium phosphide tablets as a pesticide. The tablets emit a poisonous gas, which ended up killing the children.

Asaduzzaman, chief of Bhatara Police Station, said: “The father of the children is preparing to file a case. We will take action accordingly once he does so.”