Noakhali  Correspondent:

At least five people were killed as rival groups clashed over control of char (shoal) land in Hatiya, an island upazila of Noakhali, on Tuesday.

The incident took place at Jaglar char under Shukhchar union this morning.

One of the deceased was Alauddin, 40, a resident of Char Amanullah village in the upazila.

Local residents said the government has yet to officially lease out the land of Jaglar char to anyone.

Taking advantage of the situation, after 5 August last year, a group called “Kopa Shamsu” from Jahajmara union sold several plots of land in Jaglar char.

Meanwhile, another group called “Alauddin Bahini” from Shukhchar union became desperate to take control of the shoal land, and later sold some plots at higher prices.

Subsequently, both groups attempted to sell land in the char separately, leading to repeated disputes between them.

The latest clash occurred around 10am over establishing dominance in the char land. At one stage, both sides engaged in a gunfight, leaving four people, including Alauddin, critically injured by gunfire.

Alauddin was taken to Noakhali General Hospital, where the on-duty physician declared him dead.

Hatiya police station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Md Saiful Alam said four bodies were found at the scene and another at the hospital.

Due to the remoteness of the char area, police reached the spot around 4:30pm, the OC said, adding that the exact causes of death will be confirmed after post-mortem examinations.