Bangladesh's interim leader Fakhruddin Ahmed fainted Sunday while giving a speech at a function near the capital as midday temperatures soared, a television station reported. Ahmed passed out while inaugurating a fair to promote tree-planting at Tangail, 72 kilometers (45 miles) north of Dhaka, the ATN Bangla network said. Ahmed asked for some water toward the end of his speech, but collapsed before he could drink it, a member of a television crew filming the speech said on condition of anonymity, as he was not authorized to talk to the media. Ahmed managed to sit up briefly after aides splashed water on his face, before he was carried away on a stretcher, the crew member said. He was rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment, the television report said. Ahmed's condition was not serious, and he most likely suffered from the day's stifling heat, doctor Golam Kibria was quoted as saying. He was later flown by helicopter to Dhaka and taken to a military hospital for further tests. The government has yet to officially comment on Ahmed's fainting. Bangladesh has been experiencing a heat wave, with temperatures rising up to 39 degrees Celsius (102 Fahrenheit), according to the Meteorological Office. Sunday's temperature at midday reached 35.3 degrees C (95.5 F), the agency said.
