Dr AKM Rafique Ahammed, director general of Department of Environment (DoE), has died of Covid-19.
He died at 4:14am on Saturday while undergoing treatment at Rajarbagh Central Police Hospital.
Senior Information Officer Dipankar Bar at the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change confirmed the news of this death.
Farid Ahmed, director of the environment department, said Ahammed tested positive after showing Covid symptoms in the last week of March.
Many officials of the environment department have also been infected with the virus, he added.
Ahammed was admitted to the hospital on March 23 after testing positive. He was on life support for the last two days as his condition deteriorated.
He left behind his wife and two sons.
Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Md Shahab Uddin, Deputy Minister Habibun Nahar, and Secretary Ziaul Hasan have expressed profound shock and sorrow at the sudden demise of Rafique Ahammed.
They expressed deep condolences to the bereaved family members and prayed for the forgiveness of his departed soul.
Ahammed is expected to be buried in Chattogram next to his father's grave.
Rafique Ahammed joined the Department of Environment as the director general on May 22, 2019.
