Death toll of Bangladesh border guards mutiny rises to 81

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(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-02-28 15:10

DHAKA -- Ten more bodies were recovered on Saturday morning in the headquarters of paramilitary border guards, Bangladesh Rifles (BDR), in capital Dhaka, raising the death toll of Wednesday's bloody revolt to 81.

The ten decomposed bodies including one female were seen retrieved from two graves inside the BDR headquarters while the rescuers are searching more graves and more bodies.

Director General of Fire Services Abu Nayeem, who led a rescue team of hundreds of personnel, told Xinhua that more than 2,000 members from Fire Service, police, elite-force Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and army troops are conducting rescue operation inside the BDR headquarters.

An army official inside the BDR complex said around 50 army officers are still missing, according to their estimates.

With the fresh bodies recovered on Saturday morning, the total death toll of the mutiny by BDR soldiers has risen to 81 including 59 army officers, 4 civilians and 8 BDR soldiers.

Bangladesh's Home Minister Sahara Khatun Friday evening at a press conference said 40 bodies of army officers were recovered on Friday, which means a total of 59 army officers have confirmed to be killed.

Among the 40 bodies of army officers found on Friday, 38 bodies including the body of chief Shakil Ahmed were recovered from one mass grave inside the BDR headquarters on Friday while two bodies were found in a sewerage tunnel.

Thousands of the border guards BDR soldiers staged a bloody revolt against their commanding officers deputed from the army over pay and other benefits on Wednesday morning at their headquarters in west of Dhaka.

The bloody revolt came to an end with surrender of the mutineers Thursday evening.

Local reports said more than 160 army officers as well as their relatives were either killed or held as hostages inside the BDR headquarters on Wednesday morning, and 34 of the officers were either rescued or released till Thursday evening.

Bangladesh's government Friday announced a 3-day national mourning from Friday to Sunday in commemoration of the mutiny victims, with national flag hoisted half at half-mast during the three days.

The government Friday also decided that all the slain army officers will be buried with state honor.

BDR, whose main task is to protect the country's borders, is under Home Minister, but its senior officers are all from the Army. They complained they have been ignored and repressed by their army officers for a long time.