Bangladesh state-minister dies at military hospital

A Bangladeshi state-minister died at the country's main military-administered hospital late Saturday, according to an official.

State Minister for Religious Affairs Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, 74, died on the way to Dhaka's Combined Military Hospital (CMH) around midnight, Sheikh Nazmul Haque Shaikat, assistant private secretary to Abdullah, confirmed to Anadolu Agency.

"The state minister died of cardiac arrest at around 11:45pm [1845GMT] at the Dhaka Central Military Hospital," the Daily Star news website reported, citing the Secretary for Religious Affairs Ministry.

"[The] minister was declared dead minutes after reaching the hospital. Actually he died on the way," Shaikat said.

He said Abdullah was suffering from various elderly complications, not from coronavirus symptoms and no medical test was conducted to find out whether he contacted the lethal virus.

The CMH is known for treating dignitaries in Bangladesh who are infected with the novel coronavirus since it was first reported March 8.

An anonymous close source of Abdullah said due to his age he had respiratory problems common in most of the elderly in Bangladesh.

President M Abdul Hamid, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen expressed shock at Abdullah's death and conveyed sympathy to bereaved family members.