Nine killed as rain-triggered landslides hit Cox's Bazar

Authorities warn residents on vulnerable hill slopes to move to safer places as heavy rain continues

At least nine people have been killed after a series of landslides triggered by heavy rain hit Rohingya refugee camps in Ukhiya and Cox’s Bazar town within a few hours.

Rescue operations have been carried out as officials warn that unstable slopes continue to pose serious danger.

The incidents occurred from Sunday night to Monday morning in the Balukhali, Kutupalong and Jamtoli Rohingya camps in Ukhiya Upazila, along with the Sattar Ghona area of Cox’s Bazar town.

The Fire Service and Civil Defence, Armed Police Battalion (APBn), local residents and Rohingya volunteers conducted overnight recovery operations, retrieving bodies from the debris.

Dollar Tripura, an official at Ukhiya Fire Service Station, said: “Eight people have been killed in four separate landslides at the Rohingya refugee camps. There is still a risk of further landslides due to heavy rainfall.”

Fire Service officials said the deadliest incident took place around 1:30am in Camp-15, the D-6 block of the Jamtoli settlement, where a large section of hill collapsed onto the house of Kamal Hossain, 44.

He, his wife Humaira Begum, 39, and their 4-year-old son Mohammad Anas were killed in their sleep.

Two other family members were injured and hospitalised.

Shortly after, around 2am, a landslide in Kutupalong Camp-7’s D-7 block killed a 7-year-old boy, identified as Ekram, the son of Rashid Ullah.

At 3:30am, another collapse in Balukhali Camp-11, C-11 block killed four members of the same family -- Umme Habiba, 27, her sister Tanzina Akter, 13, and two brothers Md Rihan, 5, and Harunur Rashid, 3.

One more person was injured in the incident.

The Fire Service said two rescue units reached the sites immediately and continued operations until dawn with the help of volunteers, though heavy rain and mud made the efforts extremely hazardous.

Separately, a landslide in Cox's Bazar town's Sattar Ghona around 4:30am killed Ali Akbar, 50.

The risk of landslides rises across Cox's Bazar's hilly areas and Rohingya refugee camps every monsoon season, with settlements built on cut hillsides or steep slopes among the most vulnerable.

Prolonged rain softens the soil, causing sections of hillside to collapse without warning, turning it into a deadly nighttime trap.

Sheikh Mohammad Ali, chief of Cox's Bazar Sadar Model Police Station, said Akbar and two other members of his family were trapped under the debris.

Locals rescued them and took them to Cox’s Bazar Sadar Hospital, where doctors declared Akbar dead.

The injured family members are undergoing treatment, the police officer added.

Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner Mohammed Mizanur Rahman said, “Continuous rainfall has increased the risk of landslides, and residents on risky hillside areas are being urged to relocate to safer places.

“Loudspeaker announcements are also being made in the camps.”

Cox’s Bazar Meteorological Department Assistant Meteorologist Md Abdul Hannan said a deep depression over the Bay of Bengal and active monsoon conditions have triggered heavy to very heavy rainfall, with over 250mm recorded in the last 24 hours up to Monday morning.

The wet spell is expected to continue for at least two more days.