At least six people, including four Rohingya girls and two children, were killed and three others injured in separate landslides across Chattogram and Cox’s Bazar on Wednesday as torrential monsoon rains continued to lash the region.
The latest deaths on Wednesday raised the three-day toll in Cox’s Bazar district alone to 18.
Tragedy in Ukhiya
Four Rohingya girls were killed and three others injured after a wall of a female Hifz madrasa collapsed amid heavy rain and a landslide at a refugee camp in Ukhiya, Cox’s Bazar on Wednesday.
The incident took place around 3:45pm at Khatijatul Female Hifzkhana in Block A-3 of Rohingya Camp-5, according to authorities.
Additional Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Siraj Amin of the 14 Armed Police Battalion (APBn) said the wall collapsed due to continuous heavy rainfall, strong winds and a landslide.
“Seven students inside the Hifzkhana were injured in the collapse. Locals and camp authorities rescued them and took them to Friendship Hospital in Camp-5, where doctors declared four of them dead,” he said.
The deceased were identified as Rashida Begum, 13, daughter of Hashim Ullah of Camp-5 Block A; Ummey Nejatul, 13, and Ummey Salma, 12, daughters of Abdus Shukur of Camp-3 Block F-1; and Umaisa Bibi, 13, daughter of Mohammad Elias of Camp-5 Block A-8.
The injured were identified as Asra, 9, daughter of Dil Mohammad; Begum Jan, 15, daughter of Nurul Amin of Camp-3 Block AP-1; and Faresa Bibi, 12, daughter of Bashir Ahmed of Camp-5. They are receiving treatment.
Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner (RRRC) Mohammad Mizanur Rahman said continuous heavy rainfall had increased the risk of landslides in different parts of the Rohingya camps.
“Rescue operations are continuing in the affected areas. The exact number of casualties can be confirmed after the completion of the rescue work,” he said.
Meanwhile, Ukhiya Fire Service and Civil Defence Station Officer Dollar Tripura said rescue teams reached the spot shortly after receiving the information and began operations.
“Rescue work is challenging due to adverse weather and unstable soil conditions, but the operation is continuing,” he said.
The Cox’s Bazar Meteorological Office recorded 51mm of rainfall in the district between 6am and 12 pm on Wednesday, said Assistant Meteorologist Md Abdul Hannan.
Police, fire service personnel and other agencies are monitoring the situation, while the law and order situation at the camp remains normal, authorities said.
Infant, girl killed in Chattogram
Earlier on Wednesday morning, two children were killed in separate landslides in Sitakunda and the Panchlaish area of Chattogram city.
In Sitakunda, a 10-month-old infant, Md Ashraful Islam Tanvir, was killed when a portion of a hill collapsed onto a house in the No 6 Samaj area of Jangal Salimpur Union at around 10am.
The child’s mother was injured in the incident but has returned home after receiving primary treatment. Sitakunda Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Md Mohinul Islam confirmed the incident, citing heavy rain as the cause of the collapse.
Sitakunda Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Md Fakhrul Islam warned that the risk of landslides has escalated and urged those living at the foot of hills to move to safer shelters.
In a separate incident at 9am, 12-year-old Sumaiya Akter was killed when a mound of earth collapsed onto a tin-shed house in the Mayor Gali area of Chashma Hill, Panchlaish.
Md Kamruzzaman, senior station officer of Bayezid Fire Service, reported that the girl died on the spot. Her body was recovered with the help of locals and sent to Chattogram Medical College Hospital, according to Panchlaish Police OC Md Jahedul Islam.
Rising death toll
The latest fatalities came after several other deaths earlier in the week. On Tuesday afternoon, a man was killed when a wall collapsed in Rahman Nagar, while a woman died in a landslide in the Isakhali Guchhagram area of Rangunia.
In Cox’s Bazar, the 18 deaths reported over the past three days include eight refugees killed in landslides on Monday, along with fatalities in Pekua and Cox’s Bazar city. During the same period, two children, including a Rohingya child, also drowned in floodwaters.
Meanwhile, residents in Chattogram have raised fresh concerns over the safety of people living in landslide-prone areas.
They alleged that despite the recurring threat during the monsoon season, little has been done to relocate vulnerable families or rehabilitate them in safer locations.
