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Days of relentless monsoon rain have claimed at least 26 lives in Bangladesh’s southeastern district of Cox’s Bazar, where widespread flooding and landslides have left more than 300,000 people struggling to cope with the devastation.
According to the district administration, the deaths occurred between July 5 and July 10 as rising floodwaters and landslides swept through the district. The victims died in drowning incidents, landslides, and other rain-related accidents after floodwaters inundated vast areas.
The latest victim was reported on Friday afternoon in Baraitali Union of Chakaria upazila. A 12-year-old girl, Hasnatul Jannat Jharna, died after a boat carrying her family capsized while they were trying to move to safer ground as floodwaters engulfed their home. Two of her sisters were rescued and are receiving treatment.
On Thursday afternoon, two-year-old Mohammad Wakim drowned in floodwaters in the Maiz Kakara area of Kakara Union.
Earlier the same day, a three-year-old child, Pushpo, was swept away by floodwaters in the Charpara area of Konakhali Union under the newly formed Matamuhuri upazila, which was recently carved out of Chakaria.
In another tragic incident, two children from the same family were killed when a landslide buried their house in the Machania Kata area of Chakaria.
Additional deaths were reported from Cox’s Bazar Sadar, Pekua and the Rohingya refugee camps in Ukhiya. Among the dead are 15 Rohingya refugees.
District authorities said floodwaters have submerged at least 150 villages across 35 unions in all 10 upazilas of Cox’s Bazar. The worst-hit areas are Chakaria, Pekua and Matamuhuri, while extensive flooding has also affected Cox’s Bazar Sadar, Ramu, Ukhiya, Teknaf, Maheshkhali, Kutubdia and Eidgaon.
Md Nurul Islam, Executive Engineer of the Cox’s Bazar Water Development Board, said water flowing downstream from Bandarban has caused the Matamuhuri River to overflow, inundating vast low-lying areas in Chakaria and Pekua.
The district administration and local authorities are continuing rescue and relief operations as thousands of families remain stranded and in urgent need of food, safe drinking water and shelter.
