Flood, landslides kill 7 in Cox’s Bazar, Bandarban [ Tritiyo Matra News ]

Flood, landslides kill 7 in Cox’s Bazar, Bandarban

Local July 07, 2017

Flood and landslides amid incessant monsoon rains killed at least seven people in Cox’s Bazar and Bandarban Wednesday night and Thursday.
Five of the victims either drowned in, or were washed away by, flood waters while the rest two were found buried under their houses in landslides.
All the casualties of flood were reported from fishing port Cox’s Bazar. The flood situation in Cox’s Bazar deteriorated overnight with the flood forecasting and warning centre recording a rainfall of 241mm in 24 hours ending on Thursday morning in Cox’s Bazar.
About a million people remained stranded in six of the eight upazilas in Cox’s Bazar district. Over 300 educational institutions had to suspend classes on Thursday for an indefinite period.
Cox’s Bazar’s deputy commissioner Mohammad Ali Hossen said that the flood also damaged several thousand houses.
About one million people were marooned in Sylhet, Moulvibazar, Sunamganj and Habiganj as over 1,000 villages in the districts remained under water for about three weeks since flood hit the country in June.
Authorities in the districts were forced to close about 500 educational institutions
as the flood waters inundated even roads and highways submerging neighbourhood after neighbourhood.
According to the department of disaster management, 780 villages of 15 upazilas had been flooded with the authorities opening shelter centres where 664 families already took shelter. The flood affected more than 4 lakh people in the districts.
The flood situation kept getting worse mainly because of heavy monsoon rains in Bangladesh and in the upstream India.
The flood forecasting and warning centre in its forecast issued Thursday morning said that the major rivers Brahmaputra, Jamuna, Ganges and Padma would continue to rise in the next 24 to 48 hours.
Kangsha, Surma, Matamuhuri and Kushiyara rivers were flowing over the danger level at six points. Brahmaputra and Jamuna rivers were flowing just below the danger level at five points across the country.
Of the 90 places monitoring flood situation across the country, 58 marked rises, said the flood forecast.
The onrush of water from upstream in India would continue as the Indian met office in its Thursday forecast predicted that the hilly Assam and Meghalaya might receive ‘heavy to extremely heavy rainfall’ till July 10.
New Age correspondent in Cox’s Bazar reported that siblings Mohammad Shahin, 10, and Fahim, 8, drowned after they slipped from their parents’ hands into water at Fatekharkul of Ramu at 3:00pm while the family was going to seek refuge at a local flood shelter.
In Ukhiya, Samira Akhter, 14, Eton Barua, 13, drowned and Kamal Uddin, 60, was washed away by flood waters Wednesday night and Thursday.
Shahriar Hossain Rabbi, 6, was killed at Palongkhali of Ukhiya after his house collapsed, burying him alive in landslide while he was sleeping Wednesday night.
The situation forced administration to evacuate 300 people from their houses at the foot of hills in Cox’s Bazar town.
New Age correspondent in Moulvibazar reported that the flood situation remained unchanged there on Thursday.
Water Development Board officials predicted that the water would not start receding until next week.
New Age staff correspondent in Sylhet reported that a sever crisis of water and food gripped the flood affected areas.
The upazila nirbahi officer at Naikhyangchari in Bandarban, SM Sarwar Kamal, said that landslide killed a 55-year-old woman, Chhamuna, and injured her child at Fakirpara Wednesday night.
United News of Bangladesh reported that the flood situation in Sariakandi upazila of Bogra and Kurigram district worsened further as Jamuna and Brahmmaputra rivers were swelling.