Three housewives have died of snakebites in Phulbari, Dinajpur. According to the report's opening, two died in the upazila's Shibnagar union on the morning of Tuesday 16 September and one in Kazihal union on the night of Monday 15 September; its account of each death, below, places one in Shibnagar and two in Kazihal.

The dead are Bulbuli Begum (35), wife of the late Delwar Hossain of Rameshwarpur village in Kazihal union; Bina Rani (45), wife of Shyamal Roy of Pukuri Singhpara village; and Kanika Rani (45), wife of Krishna Chandra of Rajarampur Goalpara village in Shibnagar union.

On Tuesday morning Kanika Rani of Rajarampur Goalpara village in Shibnagar union was cooking when a snake came out of the firewood and bit her. She was taken to Phulbari Upazila Health Complex, where the doctor referred her to Dinajpur Medical College Hospital. She died on the way.

The same morning, in Rameshwarpur village of Kazihal union, Bulbuli Begum was bitten while clearing ash from a clay stove. She too was taken to the upazila health complex and referred to Dinajpur Medical College Hospital, and she died on the way before reaching it.

Earlier, at about 8pm on Monday, Bina Rani of Pukuri Singhpara village in Kazihal union was bitten by a snake in a rat hole as she was blocking its mouth inside her mud house. She died shortly afterwards.

Asked about the deaths, Phulbari Upazila Health Complex resident medical officer (RMO) Nure Alam said the hospital has antivenom in stock, but the injection is given after assessing the patient's symptoms and which snake bit them. The patients who came were in a very serious condition, and in one case proper snakebite symptoms were not found. So they were sent to Dinajpur Medical College Hospital for better treatment.

Kanchan Mia, acting chairman of Kazihal union, and Samidul Islam, chairman of Shibnagar union, confirmed the snakebite deaths.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.