A school student died after being run over by a soil-carrying tractor in Chatkhil, Noakhali. The accident occurred on the Phulerchari to Mohammadpur road in Ward No. 9 of Mohammadpur Union of the upazila at around 8:45 pm on Friday (April 11).

The deceased, Ashraful Alam (12), was the son of Md. Monir Hossain of Tibra Bari of Mohammadpur village in the middle of the upazila and a fourth-grade student of the local Janata Bazar Government Primary School.

Locals said that a festival of cutting and selling soil from cropland is going on in various unions of Chatkhil despite the silence of the local administration. A group of soil-grabbers is cutting and selling soil from cultivated land from Kulshri and Paranpur fields of Mohammadpur Union of the upazila at night and day in Mohammadpur and Malangchar villages. On Friday night, Ashraful went to the local KG school market with his father. On his way back from the market, an illegal soil-carrying tractor ran him over. Ashraful died on the spot. Later, locals rescued him and took him to a local village doctor, who declared him dead.

Chatkhil Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Firoz Uddin Chowdhury said that police were sent to the spot after receiving the information. Details will be announced later.