The overnight breaching of Brahmaputra flood control embankment pushed the families in Chuniapara village in Dhunat upazila out in the open to live on their own without food and shelter.

Locals blamed the incident on a feud between two pro-BNP groups of contractors over the repair of the embankment that stretched 262 kilometres from the northern district of Kurigram to Pabna.

Many in other villages in Goshaibari union in Dhunat, part of Sherpur and Shariakandi in Bogra and Kazipur upazila in Sirajganj left home for safety, while the rest are living through uncertainty.

Witnesses said the rain-fed river ran into the surrounding village in ferocity overflowing its bounds, the moment a gang cut a swathe through the embankment at about 2:30am.

Strong currents rushed roaring into the houses in a few minutes, blasting away over 500 metres of the dam, said Hafizur Rahman, who lost his rice mill and over Tk 17 lakh in rice.

"I heard water raging close to my home and a surge hit our room in a flash," Parvin, who lost her children Sulekha, 4, and Biplob, 6, told The Daily Star.

"As the water was rising, I held them tight so that they cannot be washed away," she said with a pause to blink her tears back. "I could not save them. I saw a strong flow of water washing them away," Parvin cried.

Three other dead were named as Russel, 5, Saidur, 7, and Julekha, 58.

Anwara Khatun and Mira Begum lamented the loss of their houses with all belongings, sitting frail on the unsurfaced road. "Where will I go now?" an elderly Anwara said, her voice trailing away to nothing.

The incident cost Nazrul Islam Tk 15 lakh in lost property, including his house and sawmill.

"Victims' families have confirmed that at least five people have drowned until this afternoon (yesterday)," said local Union Parishad (UP) Chairman Moinul Hasan Mukul.

The local administration said the government allocated 100 tonnes of rice, 40 sanitary pans and 20 tubewells for the villagers. But officials said they would not distribute all among them, as they fear new areas may go under water and relief will be needed for them.

Villagers linked the sabotage to the feud between contractors of two groups led by UP Chairman of adjacent Bhandarbari Belal Hossain Babu with close ties to the ruling BNP and his rival Jahurul Islam Nannu, also local BNP leader, over the dam repair work -- an allegation other BNP leaders denied.

Talking to The Daily Star, the locals identified the saboteurs as supporters of either group.

In a complaint filed with Dhunat Police Station, Goshaibari UP Chairman Mukul termed the incident an act of sabotage.

The Dhunat UNO (Upazila Nirbahi Officer) and Water Development Board officials sent reports to the government describing the incident as an act of sabotage.