Bangladesh: Cardiff father and son poisoned by gas - police

Rafiqul Islam, 51, and Mahiqul Islam, 16, died on en route to hospital after being found unconscious in a flat

Police probing the deaths of a father and son in Bangladesh believe they may have been poisoned by carbon monoxide.

Cardiff taxi driver Rafiqul Islam, 51, and Mahiqul Islam, 16, died on en route to hospital on 26 July after being found unconscious in a flat in Osmaninagar, near the city of Sylhet.

Beside them were Rafiqul's wife Husnara Begum and their other children Samira, 20, and Sadiqul, 24.

Police said Husnara and Sadiqul were released from hospital on Wednesday.

Supt Farid Uddin said Samira remained in an "alarming" condition in intensive care.

Police said Husnara and Sadiqul had told them there was a faulty electricity generator in the property they were staying at, to be used in emergencies.

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They told officers it was used the night of the tragedy due to a power cut.

Supt Uddin said police visited the property with Husnara and Sadiqul, adding that when the generator was running it pumped out smoke that could have been behind the suffocation and samples had been sent to a laboratory for analysis.

Rafiqul Islam's son, Sadiqul, said he woke in hospital unaware of what had happened

Supt Uddin said: "We collected a smoke sample from the generator and we sent it to fire service to see if chemicals were also found in the bodies of the deceased and of the survivors.

"We have to wait for some days to get the chemical analysis report."

Sadiqul said he did not know what happened and woke up in hospital after going to bed at about 23:00 local time.

A relative previously said when there was no answer at the flat on July 26, they peered through a window and saw the family sprawled on two beds.

Supt Farid Uddin said there was a faulty generator in the property the family were staying at

Rafiqul lived in Riverside, Cardiff, and played badminton and football. Fitzalan High School pupil Mahiqul has been described as "sweet and friendly".

On Tuesday, a doctor said there was no concrete evidence Rafiqul Islam, who was 51, and Mahiqul had been poisoned.