As many as 100,000 people defied Bangladesh’s coronavirus lockdown to attend the funeral of a leading Islamic cleric on Saturday.

The authorities there have said the enormous throng gathered in the Brahmanbaria district, about 60km east of the capital Dhaka, despite a ban on gatherings of more of five people to slow the spread of Covid-19.

They came to mark the death of Maulana Jubayer Ahmed Ansari, a popular figure in Bangladesh’s Islamist party, who died on Friday aged 56.

Tens of thousands walked miles, reportedly blocking the motorways, to pay their respects, defying the government’s advice to stay home and avoid other people.

In response to the funeral crowds, Bangladesh’s government has tightened its clampdown on seven villages in the district.

High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world Show all 18 1 /18 High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world Najaf, Iraq A man holds a pocket watch at noon, at an almost empty market near the Imam Ali shrine Reuters High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world Bangkok, Thailand Wat Phra Si Rattana Satsadaram (The Temple of the Emerald Buddha, part of The Grand Palace) Reuters High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world Prague, Czech Republic An empty street leading to the historic Old Town Square Reuters High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world Washington DC, US Lawn stretching towards the Capitol, home of Congress Reuters High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world Jerusalem's Old City A watch showing the time in front of Damascus Gate Reuters High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world London, UK The Houses of Parliament seen from Westminster Bridge Reuters High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world Wuhan, China Empty lanes in the city that saw the first outbreak of disease Reuters High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world Havana, Cuba The Malecon road and esplanade winds along the city's seafront Reuters High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world Cairo, Egypt A little busier than elsewhere: midday traffic in Tahrir Square Reuters High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world Berlin, Germany The Brandenburg Gate, the only surviving city gate in the capital Reuters High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world Caracas, Venezuela Bolivar Avenue, opened in 1949 and the site of many demonstrations and rallies Reuters High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world Moscow, Russia Spasskaya Tower (left) on the eastern wall of the Kremlin, and St Basil's Cathedral Reuters High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world Istanbul,Turkey The harbourside Eminonu district is usually buzzing with activity Reuters High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world New Delhi, India Rajpath, a ceremonial boulevard that runs through the capital Reuters High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world Amman, Jordan The Roman amphitheatre that dates back to the 2nd century AD Reuters High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world New York City, US The main concourse of Grand Central station in Manhattan Reuters High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world Kiev, Ukraine Maidan Nezalezhnosti, the site of many political protests since the end of the Soviet era Reuters High noon in a coronavirus-stricken world Accra, Ghana The odd walker out in the midday sun on Ring Road Central Reuters

“We’ve strictly ordered all residents of the seven villages to stay at home at all times at least for the next 14 days so we can identify if anyone contracted the virus following Saturday’s gathering,” a local police officer told the Reuters news agency.

Although the nation has only so far identified 101 deaths from coronavirus and just 2,948 cases, this is thought to be a significant under-estimate because of a lack of testing capacity and poor healthcare infrastructure.

Nasima Sultana, a senior official in the Directorate General of Health Services, said 492 people had tested positive for Covid-19 in the past 24 hours, the highest such figure in a single day since the virus first arrived in Bangladesh last month.

Many experts fear coronavirus could wreak havoc in the densely-populated nation of 160 million people. Despite the government imposing a lockdown along with much of the rest of the world, it has been widely flouting, raising the chances of widespread transmission of the disease within Bangladesh.

The local police force in Brahmanbaria had not expected such large crowds for the funeral of Ansari and were reportedly unable to prevent the hordes of people from descending upon the madrassa where the cleric was due to be buried.

According to a spokesman for the national police authorities, two local officers have been removed from their duties while a committee investigate how such a huge breach of the lockdown was able to take place.

Despite pleas from the prime minister Sheikh Hasina, many Bangladeshis are continuing to attend Friday prayers and other services at mosques.