Cardiff man and his son die after being poisoned in Bangladesh

51-year-old Rafiqul Islam and his family were poisoned in Bangladesh

A man from Cardiff and his son are reported to have died after being poisoned with three other members of the family taken the intensive care unit for treatment in Bangladesh.

After relatives raised an alarm to the police, they went into the building in north-eastern city of Sylhet where the family was staying.

Rafiqul Islam, 51, and his son Mahiqul, 16, died on their way to hospital while his wife and two other children are currently being treated.

The family, from the Riverside area of the city, were on a two-month visit to the country and were all found unconscious.

Superintendent Farid Uddin informed reporters that the condition of those in hospital – Husnara, 45 and Samira, 20, were critical, while eldest son Sadiqul, 24, was receiving treatment.

He added, “After discussing the overall situation with the doctors and inspecting the scene, we believe this may have been a case of poisoning.

The other people in the building are close relatives of the victims. We questioned them. At the moment, we believe they fell asleep after dinner last night.

This must be investigated further. How were they poisoned? How did they die? We will be able to confirm after an investigation.”

Supt Uddin said all five family members were sleeping in the same room on Monday night and relatives raised the alarm at about 10:00 local time when they failed to wake up.

At first it was thought to be food poisoning, but it is now being investigated by police.

Post-mortem examinations have been carried out and been sent to Dhaka. The results could take five days.

Islam’s brother-in-law Abdul Mumin Khan, found out the news on Tuesday morning and said, “I didn’t know what to do or what to say.

Everyone is very sad. Everybody is crying. My wife, all the time, is crying. I am crying as well.

I can’t believe this has happened. This person is very friendly, a very nice guy. His son is very sweet and friendly. Everyone likes him and he likes everyone. His son is a very, very nice boy.”

He said that they were waiting to hear what the police had to say.

“I was talking with my wife and she was saying, ‘I don’t believe that he is dead’. But, the reality (is) he is dead,” Mr Khan said.

General secretary of Bangladesh Association Cardiff, Mohammed Haroon, said that he used to work with Islam, who was a taxi driver and a member of badminton and football teams in the city.

He said, “He was a very nice person, very helpful person who was at the mosque all the time and constantly working with the community.

“It’s very sad but I do believe the older son is quite well now, he’s up and talking. His daughter is still critical and his wife is not out of danger yet.” The Foreign Office said, “We are providing consular assistance to a British family following an incident in Bangladesh and are in contact with the local authorities.”