At least six, mostly children, die in Cox’s Bazar landslides

Five children belonging to the same family were killed in their sleep after landslides caused by heavy rainfall swept away their home in Cox’s Bazar’s Teknaf Upazila, while an elderly man was also killed in a separate landslide in Moheshkhali.

The incidents occurred in Pankhali Villager Para of Nhilla Union and the Bajuar Ghona area of Moheshkhali’s Hoanok Union.

The dead have been identified as Abdus Shukkur, 16, Mohammad Jubayer, 12, Abdul Latif, 10, Kohinur Akhter, 14, and Zainab Akhter, 8, who were all killed in Teknaf, and Ali Hossain, 80, was killed in the Moheskhali incident.

Nhilla Union Parishad Chairman Rashed Mohammad Ali said several others were also injured in the landslide that took place in his constituency on Wednesday morning.

The only injury victim identified was one Syed Alam, a relative of the children who were killed.

Teknaf has been experiencing intermittent downpours over the past week, Ali said.

Members of Syed Alam’s family got buried under a torrent of mud at the foot of a hill. They were later dug out by locals but five children were killed on the spot.

The injured were sent to Teknaf Upazila Health Complex for treatment, said Ali.

One unit from the Teknaf Fire Service Station arrived at the spot after receiving news of the incident and conducted a rescue operation for three hours. No further deaths were recorded by the fire service.

Upazila administration officials, including Teknaf UNO Parvez Chawdhury, also visited the area in the morning, Ali said.

Heavy rain triggered a landslide that buried Ali Hossain’s home and cowshed, said Hoanok Union Parishad Member Abu Bakr. Though other members of his family were able to escape, Ali Hossain was killed.

“His family recovered the body from the scene. A cow and a goat were also killed in the cowshed.”

Five Rohingyas were killed by landslides in two Rohingya refugee camps in Ukhiya on Tuesday morning. A child from another camp was also swept away by floodwaters and drowned. A man named Rakim Ali was also killed by landslides in Teknaf and a teenager named Morsheda Begum got buried under mud following heavy rainfall in Moheshkhali.