4 tea garden workers killed in landslide

Four tea garden workers were killed in a landslide in Sreemangal upazila of Moulvibazar on Friday.

The incident took place at Lakhaichhara tea garden under Kalighat union around 11:30am.

The deceased are Radhamani Mahali, 25, wife of Arun Mahali, Purnima Bhoumik, 30, wife of Ripon Bhoumik, Hira Rani Bhoumik, 35, wife of Swapan Bhoumik, and Sakuntala Bhoumik, 40, wife of Sunil Bhoumik. All of them were the workers of the tea garden.

Kalighat Union Parishad Chairman Pranesh Goala said the workers went to collect mud from a hillock to repair their houses. At one point, the hillock collapsed on them and they were trapped under soil. “They died on the spot.”

Sreemangal Fire Service and Civil Defence official Abdul Qadir said they recovered the bodies.

Meanwhile, local lawmaker Abdus Shahid visited the spot and gave Tk 20,000 for their funeral.

The incident occurred at a time when the country’s tea garden workers have been observing a strike for over a week demanding a daily wage hike from Tk 120 to Tk 300.