Reports are coming in of Landslides in the South East of Bangladesh after heavy rain, which has killed at least 42 people.
A mother and grandmother trying to comfort their child after heavy downfall caused landslides in South East Bangladesh. - Photo by : AFP
Many of the victims were in their homes sleeping and were buried alive under the earth and mud officials said on Tuesday.
Dozens of people were also reported to have been injured with many houses being destroyed by the landslide.
The Bangladesh flood warning centre had said that an estimated 9.5 inches (24 CM) of rain had fallen in the countries South East in the past 24 hours.
It was also reported that seven soldiers along with dozens of others were missing in two areas where large mudslides were witnessed.
Nibhas Chandra Majhi , the police chief for Cox’s Bazaar, where one of the landslides occurred said “We could not start our rescue efforts yet as a landslide triggered by the rains has clogged up the main highways,”
“And the rain is still pouring down.”
The worst affected area was Teknaf, an area with tens of thousands of ethnic Rohingya refugees, which is on the border of Myanmar where at least 25 were reported killed and six missing according to initial investigation.
Nazim Uddin, a local official for A.N.M told AFP news agency that the floods have covered many regions and roads making rescue work extremely dangerous and difficult.
“All the roads are under water. We can’t reach areas where thousands of people are trapped by the floods,” said Uddin.
Uddin continued “Tens of thousands of Rohingya refugees living in makeshift camps on the hills around Teknaf have been affected by the floods,”
The areas where the landslides occurred are made up of hills and forests where it is common to see landslides during heavy rain.
Much of the area are made up of refugees and is a very impoverished region of the country with the majority of the residents living under the poverty line.
Many of the people were unwarned and were buried alive during their sleep. Weather officials meanwhile have said that the rain is expected to continue and that more landslides may occur. Write your comments and thoughts bellow.
