A 60-year-old farmer, Akhtar Hossain, reportedly died of a heart attack after witnessing his ripe paddy fields submerged in floodwaters in the haor region of Austagram upazila, according to his family.
He was taken to the Upazila Health Complex on Saturday evening, where doctors declared him dead.
The deceased was a resident of Alinagar Paschimpara village under Deoghore Union. Local Union Parishad member Mosha. Nasima Akter said:
“He fell seriously ill after seeing his cultivated land go underwater.”
According to family sources, Akhtar Hossain had cultivated Boro paddy on nearly 3 acres of land, investing heavily in the process. However, continuous rainfall and upstream water flow flooded vast areas of the haor, destroying most of his crops. Although a portion of the paddy had been harvested, he could not bring it home due to transportation problems.
Family members said:
“He had taken loans of around Tk 1.5 lakh for cultivation.”
“The loss of crops left him mentally devastated.”
He reportedly collapsed in the field in the afternoon after seeing the situation and was rushed to the hospital.
Meanwhile, the district agriculture department reported that an additional 2,000 hectares of cropland have recently gone underwater due to ongoing rainfall and upstream flooding in Kishoreganj’s haor region.
With this, the total affected area has reached approximately 9,045 hectares, officials said.
The worst-hit areas include the haor regions of Itna and Austagram upazilas, where thousands of farmers now face severe losses and uncertainty.
