17 killed in landslides in Cox's Bazar over four days

The death toll from landslides triggered by continuous heavy rainfall in Cox's Bazar has risen to 17 over the past four days. The latest incident occurred late Thursday (July 9) in the Double Toli area of Machhnia Kata under Baraitali Union in Chakaria upazila, where two children were killed and a woman was injured after a hillside collapsed.

The deceased were identified as Obaidul Islam, 13, son of Abdul Majid, and Rumi Akter, 13, daughter of Mohammad Kajol, both residents of Baraitali Union.

Confirming the incident, Chakaria Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Shahin Delwar said the injured woman is receiving treatment at a hospital. He added that the local administration would provide necessary assistance to the affected families.

Abdu Shukkur, a member of Ward No. 7 of Baraitali Union Parishad, said the landslide occurred at around 1:30 am when a hill behind a house collapsed, burying three people while they were asleep. Local residents rushed to the scene and managed to rescue one woman alive, while the bodies of the two children were recovered from the debris.

He also said that although the administration had repeatedly warned residents living in vulnerable hilly areas through loudspeaker announcements and urged them to move to safer locations, many chose not to evacuate.

Earlier, on Monday night, separate landslides in Rohingya camps 7, 11 and 15 in Ukhiya, as well as in the Chattarghona area of Cox's Bazar town, killed 10 people, including women and children. On the same day, a seven-year-old child was killed after being crushed under a collapsed wall in Pekua upazila.

With the latest fatalities, the total number of deaths from landslides in different parts of Cox's Bazar over the past four days has reached 17, including 13 deaths in the Rohingya refugee camps in Ukhiya.

Mohammad Abdul Hannan, Assistant Meteorologist at the Cox's Bazar Meteorological Office, said 125 millimetres of rainfall was recorded in the district over the past 24 hours. From Sunday through Wednesday afternoon, the district received a cumulative 506 millimetres of rainfall. Due to the adverse weather, Local Warning Signal No. 3 remains in force for the seaport.