Landslides, floods kill at least 88 in Bangladesh

Dhaka, June 27 (Xinhua-ANI): Devastating landslides and floods caused by heavy rains hit many houses in Bangladesh's three southeastern hilly districts Since Tuesday morning, killing at least 88 people and leaving over a dozen persons injured with many more feared dead under the mud, officials said Wednesday. They said heavy rains swept through Bangladesh's three southeastern districts-Chittagong, Cox's Bazaar and Bandarban-and triggered huge landslides since Tuesday. Kamrul Ahsan, police chief in Bandarban district, some 316 km southeast of capital Dhaka, told Xinhua over phone, "34 people were killed and 14 injured in the incidence of rain-triggered landslides." He said landslide killed 25 people including 11 from the same family in the district's Lama area while nine more persons including six of another family were buried alive in its hilly Naikhongchhari. KM Tariqul Islam, the district's administration chief, said rescuers are still searching for some missing persons. "About 14 people were also injured in the two incidents of landslides in the district's Lama and Naikhongchhari since Tuesday evening," Ahsan added. Senior Police official Selim Jahangir from Cox's Bazar district, some 391 km southeast of capital Dhaka, said, "at least 34 people were killed due to landslides, flash floods and thunderbolts in the district." Flood caused by the incessant rain inundated many areas of the Cox's Bazaar, famous for the world's longest natural sandy sea beach, disrupting communications in the district, he said. Several landslides were also reported in many parts of the country's hilly Chittagong port city, 242 km southeast of Dhaka, as downpour continued for hours since Tuesday morning. At least 20 people were killed in and around southeastern Chittagong city due to rain-triggered land slides, thunderstorms, wall collapse, electrocution and some related casualties, the district's administration chief Faiz Ahmed told Xinhua. (Xinhua-ANI)