Fatullah:Five students were severely burned after being electrocuted on the rooftop of a women's madrasah in Fatullah on Saturday evening. The incident took place at Mahela Khatun Women's Madrasah in the Hajipara area of Kashipur. The injured students were later transferred to the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery in Dhaka for treatment.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the victims have been identified as Jidni, 14, Lamia, 13, Atiya, 11, Ashiya, 12, and Sumaiya, 13. Dr. Sultan Mahmud, a resident physician at the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery, reported that Jidni suffered burns to 82 percent of her body, while Lamia sustained burns to 55 percent, Atiya 45 percent, Ashiya 27 percent, and Sumaiya 13 percent, all consistent with electrical burns.
Police and Fire Service sources revealed that the students were playing on the rooftop of the madrasah's four-storey building in the evening, carrying sugarcane. A 33,000-volt high-voltage power line runs over the rooftop, and the sugarcane reportedly came into contact with it, resulting in a loud bang, flash, and fire that severely burned the students.
Teachers and local residents quickly rescued the injured students and took them to Narayanganj General Hospital. They were subsequently referred to the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery in Dhaka.
Abdullah Al Arefin, deputy assistant director of the Narayanganj Fire Service and Civil Defence, confirmed that a team of firefighters responded to the scene after being informed of the accident. The firefighters found sugarcane with leaves on the rooftop, and preliminary findings suggest the accident occurred when the sugarcane came into contact with the high-voltage power line.