Landslide death toll rises to 56

The bodies of the missing army person and three others were recovered yesterday after they were crushed under landslides in different areas in Cox's Bazar on Tuesday.
With the recovery of the four bodies in Ukhiya upazila, the death toll in the landslides rose to 56 in Cox's Bazar and Bandarban.
The namaz-e-janaza of army person Aslam of Himchhari barracks was held at 5:30pm yesterday. His body would be sent to his village home in Natore for burial.
The other three victims are Abdul Jalil, 48, son of Sultan Ahmed of Pathuartek village, Md Arman, 16, son of Sirajul Islam, and Mostafa Kamal, 12, son of Md Hashem of Chowdhury Para.
The district administration sources had earlier showed Mostafa Kamal as a victim in Cox's Bazar town.
The three were buried yesterday morning.
Cox's Bazar Deputy Commissioner Md Gias Uddin Ahmed said 49 people died in the landslides in different areas. Of the victims, 33 died in Teknaf, nine in Ukhiya, six in Himchhari army barracks and one in Cox's Bazar town.
The deputy commissioner said the families of the victims each would get financial assistance of Tk 20,000 and allocation of Tk 9.8 lakh is underway in this regard. He added a list of the houses damaged by landslides or washed away by flash flood is being prepared for giving the affected necessary assistance.
The food and disaster management ministry has allocated Tk 10 lakh and 50 tonnes of rice for the affected in Cox's Bazar.
Of the allocation, Tk 3 lakh and 10 tonnes of rice have been allocated for Teknaf, Tk 2 lakh and three tonnes rice for Ukhiya and Tk 1 lakh and two tonnes rice for Ramu.
During a visit yesterday it was found at least 60,000 people are living at the height of about 150 feet in the Baidyaghona hill in Cox's Bazar town amid severe risk. Most of them are environmental refugees.
Several thousand Rohingyas of Myanmar who infiltrated into Bangladesh have also made houses on the hills.
Besides the Baidyaghona hill, ultra-poor people have also set up about 15,000 houses and other installations including business firms in Pahartoli, Light House Para, Saikat Para, Bus Terminal, Larpara, Kolatoli, Adarsha Gram and hilltops in other areas.
About one lakh people live in these dwellings under severe risk.
At least 30 people were killed and over 500 others injured in landslides in the last three years. In July last year at least 20 people were killed in several incidents of landslides in Cox's Bazar town, Teknaf, Moheshkhali and Ukhiya.