Monsoon landslides kill nine in Cox’s Bazar

Seven members of two families among victims as heavy rain batters district

At least nine people, including seven members of two families, were killed in separate landslides triggered by heavy rainfall in Cox’s Bazar in the early hours of Monday.

Eight of the victims died in landslides at Rohingya camps in Ukhiya upazila, while another person was killed in Cox’s Bazar municipality, Officer-in-Charge of Cox’s Bazar Sadar Model Police Station Sheikh Mohammad Ali said.

According to officials, at around 1:00am, a hillside collapsed onto a house in Rohingya Camp-15 in Ukhiya, killing three members of the same family.

The deceased were identified as Mohammad Kamal Hossain, 44, his wife
Humaira Begum, 39, and their four-year-old son, Mohammad Anas.

Around the same time, seven-year-old Ekram was killed after being buried beneath earth from a collapsing hillside in Kutupalong’s Camp-7.
At about 3:00am, another landslide struck Rohingya Camp-11, claiming the lives of four members of a family.

The victims were Umme Habiba, 27, her sister Tanzina Akhtar, 13, and two younger brothers—Rihan, 5, and Harunur Rashid, 3. Another person was injured in the incident.

In a separate incident at around 4:30am, a section of a hill collapsed onto the house of Ali Akbar, 50, in the Sattar Ghona area of Cox’s Bazar town.

Ali Akbar and two other family members were trapped under the debris. Local residents rescued them and rushed them to Cox’s Bazar Sadar Hospital, where doctors pronounced Ali Akbar dead.

According to the Ukhiya Fire Service, continuous rainfall since Sunday morning triggered the landslides.

Fire Service personnel carried out overnight rescue operations and recovered the bodies from the affected areas.

Assistant Meteorologist at the Cox’s Bazar Meteorological Office Md Abdul Hannan said the heavy rainfall resulted from a low-pressure system and active monsoon conditions over the Bay of Bengal.

More than 250 millimetres of rainfall was recorded in the district during the 24 hours ending Monday morning, and the wet weather is expected to continue for at least another two days, he said.

Ukhiya Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Panna Akhter and Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner Md Mizanur Rahman said authorities are urging residents living in landslide-prone areas to move to safer locations to reduce the risk of further casualties.