Massive landslides triggered by heavy rain killed at least 130 people including four army personnel, and left many others missing in three southeastern districts-Rangamati, Bandarban and Chittagong-early Tuesday.
The landslides occurred on Monday night due to the torrential rains since Sunday midnight. 30 were killed in Chittagong district and 75 including four army personnel, in Rangamati sadar, Kaptai and Longdu and nine in Bandarban sadar.
The death toll could go up as hopes to find any survived among the trapped people are being faded.
Landslide also caused disruption of electricity across the hilly region.
Authorities are struggling to ascertain the exact number of missing people as rescuers continued to search for bodies.
Rescue efforts were slowed by bad weather and the death toll might rise, officials said.
In Rangamati, at least 62 people, including four army personnel, were killed and 56 injured in landslide early Tuesday.
“Of them, 38 were killed in Sadar upazila, 15 in Kaukhali and nine in Kaptai upazila of the district, Deputy Commissioner of Rangamati Mohammad Manzarul Mannan told a press briefing at his office.
Meanwhile, President M Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina condoled the deaths due to landslides triggered by torrential rains overnight in the southeastern part of the country.
Abdul Hamid also asked the authorities concerned to complete the rescue operation within the shortest possible time and ensure proper treatment of those injured.
The Prime Minister, now on her way to London en route Stockholm in an official visit to Sweden, asked all concerned officials to take immediate steps to rescue people trapped under rubbles and ensure their proper treatment.
Road link of Rangamati, Bandarban and Cox’s Bazar with Chittagong has been cut off due to heavy rainfall caused by the low pressure developed in the Bay, district administration officials said.
The army officers and soldiers were killed and many other injured when a huge chunk of mud from the hill collapsed on them at Manikchari of Rangamati sadar.
They met the tragic end of their lives while they were on rescue operation there, said an Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) release.
They were virtually buried under tonnes of mud in a fresh landslide as they were sent to remove huge chunks of earth blocking the Chittagong-Rangamati highway.
ISPR in its a press release signed by Assistant Director Rezaul Karim said four army personnel were killed in landslides in Rangamati while searches were underway for a missing one while the mudslide caused by torrential rains claimed dozens of lives in the three southeastern districts.
“Two (commissioned) officers – a major and a captain-and two other personnel were killed while one remained missing,” the ISPR in its statement said, adding that they died while they were on disaster duty.
The ill-fated army personnel were identified as Major Mahfuz, Captain Tanvir, orporal Aziz, Sepoy Shaheen.
In Bandarban, four people, including three minor siblings, were killed and a woman and her daughter went missing in separate incidents of hillslide.
The deceased were identified as Mitu Barua, 5, Shuvo Barua, 3, and Lata Barua, 2, children of Lal Mohon Barua of Lebujhiripara, and Reba Tripura, resident of Kalaghata in Sadar upazila.
Fire Service sources said the incident occurred early in the morning when a large chunk of mud collapsed on their house while they were asleep.
Besides, Kamrun Nahar and her daughter, Supriya, went missing in another hillslide in Lebujhiripara area.
Road communications between Rangamati-Bandarban and Chittagong-Cox’s Bazar-Bandarban remained suspended as many roads went under gushing hill waters.
In Chittagong, 25 people, including three minors, were killed in landslides at remote Dopachhari union in Chandanaish and Rangunia upazilas early in the morning.
Upazila Nirbahi Officer of Rangunia Mustafa Kamal said 19 people were killed in the upazila.
“The details about the deceased could not yet be known as communication with the area has been snapped following landslide on the road,” said Imtiaj Ahmed, officer-in-charge of Rangunia Police Station.
“We’ve heard that four people were killed in Dopachhari union but no one of us or fire service could reach there as it’s an inaccessible place,” said Gazi Md Shakhawat Hossain, Chandanaish Police Station OC.
However, Disaster Management and Relief Minister Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya said 39 people, including six army personnel, were killed in landslides in the three districts.
A total of 18 shelter homes have been opened in the hill areas and some 4,500 people have taken shelter there,” said the Minister while talking to reporters at the Secretariat on Tuesday.
“The lives of more than 37 are lost officially we can confirm caused by landslides in Chittagong, Rangamati and Bandarban. But we are working round the clock to gather reports about casualty. After gathering reports, we will officially confirm the actual death figure,” a spokesman of the Disaster Management Ministry told The New Nation.
According to local sources, many of the victims belonged to the ethnic minority or tribal groups in Rangamati and Bandarban as they sed to live in their makeshift abode on or along the hills.
Reports suggest that casualties rose as people were asleep to be buried under tonnes of earths as the downpours soften the hills while the rescuers found most of them to be minor children.
