Landslides keep taking lives
A day after seven people died in rain-induced landslides, incessant rain in Cox's Bazar caused the deaths of nine more, including five siblings, yesterday.
In Teknaf upazila of Cox's Bazar, a large chunk of earth broke off a hill, rolled down the slope, and destroyed a house in which the five siblings aged between eight and 16 were sleeping around 2:00am yesterday.
Rashed Mahmud, chairman of Hnila Union Parishad, told The Daily Star that the family of Syed Alam lived in the house in Villagerpara and the children died on the spot.
Md Hossain, sub-inspector of Teknaf Police Station told The Daily Star that a police team went there and recovered the bodies from inside the mud pile.
Rashed said the deceased were Abdus Sukkur, 16, Mohammed Jobayer, 12, Abdul Latif, 10, Kohinur Akther, 14, and Joynab Akther, 08.
He said hundreds of homes got washed away as heavy rain inundated parts of the union.
Meanwhile, a man and two children drowned when they were fishing in the rapids at Eidgaon upazila of Cox's Bazar yesterday morning.
Somen Barua, an official of the Fire Service and Civil Defence, Cox's Bazar, said they were able to recover the bodies after seven hours of frantic efforts in Eidgaon canal.
The deceased were identified as Omar Faruk, 23, Delwar Hossen, 16, and Mohammad Morshed, 15.
The rain triggered the rapids in the canal which washed the trio away, the official said.
Mohammed Ali, 70, was killed due to a landslide in Huyanok union of Moheshkhali upazila of Cox's Bazar, said UNO of the upazila Mahfuzur Rahman.
He told The Daily Star, "The administration is trying to relocate people to shelter homes from the slopes of hills."
Many parts of Chakaria upazila, including seven union along Matamuhuri river, went under rain water since Tuesday night forcing villagers to seek shelter, said Choton Kanti Nath, a journalist of Chakaria upazila.
Floodwater along with tidal surges submerged many villages in Matarbari and Dholghat union of Moheshkhali, said Kaimul Islam, another journalist.
ROHINGYA CAMP INUNDATED
Heavy rain caused parts of Rohingya camps to go under neck- to waist-deep water in Kutupalong and Balukhali.
Shasud Douza Nayan, additional commissioner of Refugee, Relief and Repatriation Commission (RRRC) based in Cox's Bazar, told The Daily Star that some areas along the main road from Kutupalong to Balukhali went under water.
"Heavy rainfall has been continuing for days in Cox's Bazar prompting us to warn people with megaphones about landslides. People are mostly reluctant to leave their homes," he said.
Saikat Biswas, spokesperson of Inter-sector Coordination Group at Cox's Bazar, told this paper on Tuesday that according to their estimates, 13,000 Rohingyas were affected by incessant rain.
On Tuesday, people experienced water logging in the camps. But the situation improved a bit as the intensity of rain reduced on Wednesday, he added.
56 FAMILIES MOVED IN CTG
More than 200 people from 56 families in Chattogram city were relocated to three shelter homes in Lalkhan Bazar area by Chattogram District Administration.
Mohammad Mominur Rahman, deputy commissioner of Chattogram, told The Daily Star that they ensured their food supply with other facilities.
"People don't want to be relocated even though their lives are at risk. We forced people to go to shelters … ," he said.
Mominur said they had earlier demolished 256 illegal homes on the slopes of hills in Motijorna area.
Our Cox's Bazar correspondent contributed to this report
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