Two masons have died after being electrocuted in Kishoreganj. The accident happened on Monday afternoon while they were installing an air conditioner on the third floor of the Samad Residential Hotel in Samad Plaza, in the Puranthana area of the district town.
The dead are Afazul, 35, son of Golap Mia of Jinarai village in Chouddashat union of Sadar upazila, and Sabbir, 30, son of Abdul Majid of the Rampur area in Pumdi union of Hossainpur upazila.
District fire service senior station officer Momen Murshed and Sadar model police station SI Dulal said the two masons were installing an air conditioner at the Samad Residential Hotel. At around midday an iron rod came into contact with a bare electrical wire and both men were electrocuted. They died at the scene. Fire service personnel went to the site on receiving the news and recovered the bodies. Between 50 and 70 percent of their bodies were burned. The two bodies have been sent to the morgue at Shaheed Syed Nazrul Islam Medical College for post-mortem examination.
Afazul’s aunt, Jahera Khatun, said Afazul had a wife, a son and a daughter. He supported the household by working as a mason.
Sabbir’s uncle by marriage, Zakir Hossain, said Sabbir had a wife and a daughter. His household ran on his work as a mason.
Helal Uddin, general secretary of the district building construction workers’ union, said building owners often fail to take the necessary protective measures while construction workers are at work. Accidents such as falls from buildings or electrocution occur as a result. He demanded that a safe working environment be ensured for construction workers everywhere. He also called on the administration to arrange suitable compensation for the families of the two dead workers and to make the owners responsible for their children.
Other businesspeople in the building said the Samad Residential Hotel has four owners, including Ripon Mia. None of the owners could be found after the accident, however.
Sadar model police station inspector (investigation) Shekhar Ranjan Pal said none of the owners had been detained so far.