Soccer fans turn violent after power fails during match

Soccer fans in Dhaka attacked a jail and an electricity office after power failures interrupted broadcasts of the World Cup match.

Hundreds of soccer fans in the Bangladesh capital attacked a jail and an electricity office after power failures interrupted broadcasts of the World Cup quarterfinal match between Argentina and Germany.

HT Image

A group of protesters threw stones at the gates of the central jail in Dhaka's densely populated Lalbagh district, slightly injuring more than a dozen jail security guards who attempted to prevent them from going to a nearby electricity office, Dhaka Metropolitan Police official Aminul Islam said.

He said the protesters also threw stones at the home of a top official of the jail authorities during the melee. Later, another mob wielding iron rods attacked the electricity office in the same area, Islam said.

Extra police were deployed later to control the situation, he said.

Meanwhile, police used batons to disperse a group of angry protesters in a similar protest at Jamalpur, 144 kms north of Dhaka, the ATN Bangla television reported.

Several violent responses to the frequent power failures have been reported in rural Bangladesh since the World Cup began in June 9.

Electricity supplies to rural Bangladesh have been decreased to ensure there is adequate power in Dhaka and other main cities and towns, but power authorities are still struggling to cope with the situation.