Pabna, Oct 01 (V7N) – Two children died after being attacked by a swarm of hornets in Pabna’s Santhia upazila, while a rabid fox injured 11 people, including women and children, in another part of the upazila on Wednesday.
The two children died while undergoing treatment at Pabna General Hospital around noon on Wednesday. They had been attacked by hornets the previous afternoon.
The deceased were Rohan Hossain, 3, son of Nayan Hossain of Gayeshbari village in Bhulbaria Union, and Arafat Hossain, 4, son of Sujan Hossain of the same area.
Ataikula Police Station Officer-in-Charge Mojibur Rahman confirmed the deaths.
According to family members and local residents, Rohan and Arafat went out to play on Tuesday afternoon. At one point, they found a hornet nest and poked it with a jute stick, prompting a swarm of hornets to attack them.
Hearing their screams, family members rushed to the scene and rescued the children before taking them to Pabna General Hospital. They died there while receiving treatment on Wednesday.
The deaths have cast a pall of grief over the area.
Meanwhile, a suspected rabid fox entered a residential area in Santhia municipality and attacked 11 people, including women and children, on Wednesday afternoon.
The incident occurred between around 4pm and 5:30pm in Shalghar Mohalla of Ward No. 7 of Santhia municipality and the Gourigram area.
The injured were taken to Santhia Upazila Health Complex for treatment.
Local residents said the fox first attacked Md Rafique when he went to a pond near his home to bring back a goat that had been tied there. The animal then entered several houses in the neighbourhood and attacked other residents.
The injured were identified as Suraiya, 5; Alo Khatun, 35; and Chhonia, 10, from Shalghar Mohalla. From Satbila village in Gourigram Union, the injured included Sinha, 3; Jubaida, 4; Lakhi, 30; Mongla Khatun, 70; Bayezid, 6; Hena, 42; Shamsur, 22; and Shahida Begum, 50.
The attacks triggered panic across the area. Local residents took to the streets carrying sticks and other makeshift weapons to protect themselves.
At around 5pm, more than 100 villagers began searching for the animal. They eventually found the fox hiding in a nearby bush and beat it to death.
Dr Mahfuz Alam, the physician on duty at the emergency department of Santhia Upazila Health Complex, said the injured people were given first aid and anti-rabies vaccines.
Although the fox was killed, concern and fear remain among the injured people and residents of the affected areas.
END/MSR/SMA/
