Mother, daughter die in Bogura fire

A woman and her 10-year-old daughter died after a fire broke out in their room at Shikhar village of Kahaloo upazila of Bogura on Friday.

The deceased were identified as Sonia Khatun, 29, daughter of Abdul Mannan of the village, and her daughter Mehamoni, a third-grade student at a local government primary school.

According to police and local sources, Sonia was mentally challenged and had been living with her daughter at her father's house for some time. The incident occurred around 7:00 am while Sonia's mother and sister-in-law were busy in cooking. Suddenly, they noticed smoke and flames engulfing Sonia's room.

Upon receiving information, neighbors and Fire Service personnel rushed to the spot and brought the fire under control. 

However, Sonia died on the spot inside the room. Firefighters rescued Mehamoni with severe burns and rushed her to Bogura Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College Hospital, where she succumbed to her injuries around noon.

The hospital's Deputy Director, Dr. Monzur A Morshed, said the child sustained nearly 80 percent burns on her body, making it impossible to save her despite all medical efforts.

Kahaloo Police Station officer-in-charge (OC) Shafiqul Islam said police visited the spot. 

He added that fire service personnel detected the smell of kerosene inside the room during their preliminary investigation, leading authorities to suspect that Sonia might have set the room on fire in an act of suicide.A thorough investigation into the incident is ongoing.

TZ