At least 7 killed as heavy monsoon rains pummel Bangladesh

By SM Najmus Sakib

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA) - Heavy rains and landslides in Bangladesh’s coastal city of Cox’s Bazar and southeastern Bandarban district have killed at least seven people, including four Rohingya refugees, officials said Monday.

Atish Chakma, deputy assistant director of the Fire Service and Civil Defense Department in Cox’s Bazar, confirmed that a landslide had injured a man and killed a Rohingya mother and her one-year-old daughter from the Ukhiya Rohingya refugee camp.

Two more children died after part of a mountain collapsed in the remote village of Chakaria in Cox’s Bazar, a police officer, Muzibur Rahman, told Anadolu.

Another man died while crossing a river to collect wood in the same location, according to the Chakaria Upazila Chairman Fazlul Karim Saidi.

A landslide in Alikadam in Bandarban district killed two more Rohingya, Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner Mohammed Mizanur Rahman told Anadolu.

“Arrangements are being made to relocate Rohingya living in areas prone to flash floods and landslides. Some 100 Rohingya have been evacuated from vulnerable areas to safer places,” he added.

Heavy rains destroyed roads in Bandarban, causing the suspension of road traffic. People in the region are also experiencing power outages as the only power station became submerged. According to the district administration, over 8,000 people have taken refuge in government shelters.

Over 200,000 people in Cox’s Bazar district have become stranded due to continuous rain, Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Shaheen Imran said Monday at a media briefing.

The government has suspended classes at all schools in the port city of Chattogram on Tuesday as excessive rains have caused severe waterlogging.

Other districts, including Dhaka, are also experiencing heavy monsoon rains.