A man and a woman, who reportedly died of natural causes on the streets of Gazipur and Chapainawabganj, were left unattended by passersby as they did not dare to go near them,for fear of the deadly coronavirus pandemic that is spreading through the nation.
In Gazipur, an elderly woman on her way to a pharmacy, suddenly collapsed and died in the municipality Tuesday night.
The deceased’s body lay in front of the pharmacy near her home for hours before healthcare workers took her away early yesterday.
Tongi (West) police station OC Emdadul Hoque, quoting locals, said: “The woman had diabetes but did not have any Covid-19 symptoms before she died. She wanted to go to the pharmacy to have her blood pressure checked when she collapsed. But due to fear of coronavirus, locals were reluctant to help.”
In Chapainawabganj, a local rickshaw puller from Sadar upazila died on Bishwa Road in the city yesterday.
The deceased’s body lay there on the road for three hours before healthcare workers from the health department took his body away.
District Civil Surgeon Dr Zahid Nazrul Chowdhury said: “Fear spread among passersby after the man was found dead on the streets. We have collected samples from the deceased to check if he had died from the coronavirus.”
The deceased’s son said his father had high blood pressure and was on regular medication. “He was not sick and he did not have any symptoms of the coronavirus.”
Another left injured after accident in Tangail
Bystanders stood by and watched while a man was injured in a collision between his motorcycle and a van on the Dhaka-Tangail Highway yesterday.
Shafiqul Islam, senior station officer of Tangail Fire Service and Civil Defence Station, said: “Informed, the fire service rescued the man and admitted him to Tangail General Hospital.”
“This was a tragic scene to witness. The man could’ve died on the streets as locals were reluctant to help,” he added.
Our correspondents Raihanul Islam Akand, Gazipur, Anwar Hossain, Chapainawabganj, and Abdullah Al Numan, Tangail, contributed to this report.
