Seven more fall victim to landslides in three districts

Seven more people have fallen victim to landslides in three districts, taking the countrywide death toll in the disaster triggered by heavy rains to over 165.

Three of them died in Khagrachhari and two in Moulvibazar on Sunday morning.

Two others, a man and a child, were injured in landslides in Rangamati Sadar Upazila's Vedvedi Natunpara area last week.

Nabi Hossain, 45, died at Dhaka Medical College Hospital or DMCH on Sunday morning, and 18-month-old Md Jisan passed away while being taken to Chittagong Medical College Hospital or CMCH from Rangamati Saturday night.

Rangamati District's Executive Magistrate Khandker Md Ikhtiar Uddin Arafat told bdnews24.com that Hossain was taken to DMCH on Saturday.

Their deaths took the toll in the disaster in the hill tract district to 115.

Arafat said they have received reports of at least 200 people being injured in the landslides in different areas until now, and 83 of them are still being treated in hospitals.

In Moulvibazar, a landslide triggered by heavy rains in Baralekha Upazila early on Sunday left a woman and her teenage daughter dead.

Local police have identified them as Asiya Begum, 40, and her 13-year-old daughter Fahmida.

Asiya and her daughter were buried under mud after the landslide struck their home in Dimai area, said Baralekha police OC Shahidul Islam.

Nonstop rains since late Saturday caused landslides on several hills in that area between 3am and 4am on Sunday and inundated low-lying areas in the upazila town.

Rainwaters have left at least 20,000 people marooned in Baralekha, said Municipality Mayor Kamran Hossain.

In Khagrachhari, three children were killed too in landslides in Ramgarh and Laxmichhari Upazilas Sunday morning, police said.

Laxmichhari police OC Arif said a landslide around 7am left Liton Chakma, 7, killed in Jatindra Karbari Para area.

Earlier in the morning, a landslide killed two brothers, identified as Nur Nabi, 14, and Nur Hossain, 10, in Ramgarh, said Khagrachhari's Superintendent of Police Ali Ahmed Khan.

Last week, a low over the Bay of Bengal had led to the worst rains in decades that triggered landslides in five southeastern districts - Chittagong, Cox's Bazar, Rangamati, Khagrachhari and Bandarban.

The landslide in Moulvibazar is the latest deadly incident to add to the disaster.

[Reporting by Mintu Chowdhury from Rangamati and Moulvibazar and Khagrachhari Correspondents]