May 31, 2002

CHITTAGONG, Bangladesh -- In the second fatal accident in two weeks to befall a Bangladeshi fan of the Argentina World Cup soccer team, a 17-year old supporter was electrocuted Friday as he tried to hoist the South American nation's flag.

Police said Mukhlesur Rahman, a 17-year-old barber shop employee, was killed after he touched a high-tension power cable as he was tying a huge Argentine flag to a metal rod on top of a four-story building in Chittagong, 215 kilometers (130 miles) southeast of the capital, Dhaka.

He was taking part in a protest with 200 other fans against World Cup co-host Japan's refusal to grant a visa to former Argentine star Diego Maradona because of a previous drugs offense, police said.

The tragedy comes after 15-year old Hasan Ahmed died on May 15 in the southern town of Cox's Bazar, also as he tried to raise an Argentine flag. He slipped and fell as he tried to tie a flag to a bamboo pole on the roof of his neighbor's three-story house in the southern town of Cox's Bazar. He died of chest and head injuries.

Soccer is the most popular sport in Bangladesh, a Muslim majority South Asian nation, but the national team is among the bottom 50 nations in world rankings and has never made it past the World Cup's qualifying rounds.

Fans here are backing other countries in soccer's blue ribbon event, with Brazil and Argentina the most-favored sides. Bangladeshis have held rallies and adorned homes and streets with the South American nations' colors to show support.

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