Millions of
people were cramming themselves aboard trains on Bangladesh's huge rail
network yesterday, desperate to make it home in time for the Eid
holiday.
With
most boats and trains full to overflowing, there were serious safety
fears. These were realised in at least one spot where a man was killed
after falling under a train.
Horrified
onlookers, including several children, crowded around the victim's
remains, which were scattered in at least two places along the tracks
near Airport Railway Station in Dhaka, the capital.
Commuter horror: Onlookers, including
several children, stand around a dead man lying on the tracks completely
cut in half near the Airport Railway Station in Dhaka after he was run
over by a speeding train
Chaos: With millions of passengers
cramming on to Bangladesh's rail network, including many simply perching
on top of the carriages as they speed from stop to stop, it's easy to
see how the accident might have happened
Holiday
time: Most of these passengers at Airport Railway Station are hoping to
get home in time to be with their families for the feast of Eid al-Adha,
commemorating Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son to God
But
the tragedy did not seem to scare anyone off their perilous journeys,
with most passengers perched atop speeding railway carriages taking them
from work in the cities to rural hometowns.
With
nearly Muslims comprising 90 per cent of Bangladesh's 160million people
and a population density higher than the tiny island of Jersey, the
scale of the exodus is beyond biblical.
Eid
al-Adha, Islam's 'Festival of the sacrifice', commemorates's Abraham's
willingness to kill his own son in submission to God's command. It
begins tonight and lasts for four days.
This
year the preparations for the holiday have been thrown into controversy
after officials warned millions of cows set for slaughter have been
fattened up with banned steroids.
Industry
officials told the AFP news agency at least ten million cows and goats
are expected to be slaughtered during the festival. But experts fear
many have been fattened with cancer-causing steroids in a bid to cash in
on the surging demand for meat.
'In
our estimate some 20 per cent of the cattle to be sold during Eid are
being fattened with banned steroids such as dexamethasone,' said
Muzaffar Hossain, a professor of animal science at the Bangladesh
Agriculture University.
Cows
fattened with such steroids can help farmers earn an extra $400-$1,000
per animal but can cause serious health problems for consumers, he said.
'As a result, the use of steroids and other harmful drugs has become rampant all over the country,' he told AFP.
Everyone's on the move: With nearly
Muslims comprising 90 per cent of Bangladesh's 160million people and a
population density higher than the tiny island of Jersey, the scale of
the exodus is beyond biblical
Anywhere there's space: Men and youths clamber aboard this train, or hang on to the doorts
Helping hands: People help a man to escape the sweltering carriage and climb up to the fresh air on the roof
Ali
Noor, joint secretary at the livestock ministry, said only a small
number of farmers were using the steroids, with the vast majority using a
government-prescribed natural cow fattening formula.
But
he said authorities have deployed 20 medical teams in Dhaka's cattle
markets to try to detect sick animals and more teams were being sent to
major markets across the country.
'We
are also asking the authorities to deploy magistrates to act against
the use of steroids to fatten cows. These magistrates will set up mobile
courts to hand out sentences against the perpetrators,' he told AFP.
On
Monday the mass-circulation Daily Star ran an investigative report that
said almost every farm in the country's northwest, the main cattle
region, was using the banned steroids.
'If
someone consumes the meat of the cattle fattened with such steroids, it
may cause cancer and kidney failure,' Abdus Samad, a professor of
Bangladesh Agriculture University, told the paper.
Acting
on a petition, the High Court on Monday asked the government to
investigate the racket and prepare guidelines for its control.
They're off: The lush vegetation of the fertile Bengal Delta whips past these passengers on the train roof
Not quite a refreshments trolley: But it's still possible to get a snack on the roof of the Eid express
Eid
al-Adha is the second of Islam's two Eid holidays, after Eid al-Fitr,
and marks the end of the annual Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca.
Like
Eid al-Fitr, the holiday involves special religious observances,
charitable donations, social and family get-togethers, gift giving and
traditional South Asian feasting.
But,
reflecting its scriptural basis, there is also the added element of
sacrifice, with many families offering up a sheep, goat or even a cow -
with one third of the meat given to the poor and the needy.
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