Three people, including two engineers, were killed on Tuesday morning when a hanging balcony on the sixth floor of an under-construction eight-storey building collapsed in the Circuit House area of Jashore city.
The incident occurred around 11:30 AM at the Iqbal Manzil building. The deceased have been identified as Azizur Rahman, 35, an engineer from Dinajpur; Mizanur Rahman Mizan, 40, an engineer from Kushtia; and Nurul Islam, 45, a subcontractor from Chapainawabganj.
According to Dr. Md. Shakirul Islam at the Jashore General Hospital emergency department, the victims died from severe head injuries and heavy blood loss.
Witnesses said the balcony suddenly gave way while construction work was underway. Mujibur Rahman, an electrician working on the site, confirmed that the three individuals fell to the ground when the sixth-floor balcony collapsed.
Local resident Labu Joarder said he heard a loud noise while leaving home to take his child to school. “I saw the balcony had broken off, and three people were lying on the street in a pool of blood. With help from neighbors, we rushed them to the hospital in an auto-rickshaw. Two of them died on the spot, and the third died at the hospital,” he said.
Another local, Nazmul Hasan Bipul, criticized the safety practices at the site. “The construction has been going on without following regulations. They block the road with materials, creating hazards for pedestrians. We’ve complained many times, but nothing was done. The building owner, Mr. Iqbal, is said to be a relative of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and often disregards concerns,” he alleged.
Babulur Rahman, manager of Building for Future Ltd, the company in charge of the project, said construction began in 2010. “Two engineers and a subcontractor were among the victims. We are investigating how the accident happened,” he stated.
Officer-in-Charge of Jashore Kotwali Police Station, Abul Hasnat Khan, confirmed the incident and said a police team is on-site. “We are currently conducting an investigation into the cause of the collapse,” he added.
The accident has sparked concerns among locals, particularly given the area’s proximity to educational institutions like MM College and Jashore Zilla School, where pedestrian movement is high.
