Dhaka dwellers rush home on eve of Eid-ul-Azha

Thousands of Bangladesh capital dwellers have started leaving the capital city for Eid-ul-Azha, known as the festival of animal sacrifice.

On Wednesday, newspapers published photographs of ferries, trains and buses with lots of people clinging on them, risking their lives.

Many even flocked to bus, railway and ferry terminals in the capital city without tickets or passes. They could not afford to buy tickets and were seen to have occupied the roof tops of buses, trains and ferries.

The Muslim majority in Bangladesh will celebrate Eid-ul-Azha here on Sept. 25.

The festival is celebrated by Muslims worldwide to commemorate the willingness of Prophet Ibrahim to sacrifice his son Prophet Ismael as an act of obedience to Allah.

Every Muslim who has the financial means need to sacrifice animal and distribute the meat to family and the poor. Millions of poor people in Bangladesh, who cannot afford to buy meat even once in a year, get the chance of eating meat this time every year.

To celebrate the festival with their loved ones, many Dhaka dwellers have already left the city to avoid the mad rush.

Dhaka's normally busy streets saw less traffic on Wednesday although road leading to dozens of shopping malls and terminals were clogged with vehicles.

Tight security measures were noticed in parts of Dhaka to ensure the safety of the home-goers and their return, and, especially, to ensure security at their houses, shopping malls, markets and houses, during the Eid vacation.

The Bangladeshi government has already declared a three-day holiday from Sept. 24. Endi