Landslides kill 5 in Cox’s Bazar

At least five people including four siblings were killed in separate incidents of landslides triggered by torrential rain in Sadar and Ramu upazilas of Cox’s Bazar early today.

Four children of Malaysian expatriate Jamal Uddin were buried alive while they were asleep, our Cox's bazaar correspondent reports quoting police.

A huge chunk of mud from nearby hills fell on their house in Bachamiar Ghona area in the district town around 6:00am, said Faid Uddin Khandaker, officer-in-charge of Cox’s Bazar Model Police Station.

The deceased were identified as Marjia Begum, 15, Pabiya Begum, 10, Abdul Hye, 8, and Khairunnessa, 6, the OC said.

All the children died on the spot due to suffocation, said Dr Shahin Md Abdur Rahman Chowdhury, a resident medical officer of Cox’s Bazar Sadar Hospital.

The bodies have been kept at the hospital morgue.

Meanwhile, Morshed Alam, 6, son of Zakir Hossain of Panerchara area of Ramu upazila was killed when a chunk of mud collapsed on their abode around 3:30am.

The district administration has given Tk 20,000 financial aid to the victims’ family, the correspondent said.

Around 228mm of rain has been recorded in the district in 24 hours till 6:00am this morning, which is the highest rainfall in a single day this monsoon, according to Cox’s Bazar Met office.

Rangamati saw the worst disaster last year when 120 people were killed in landslides, considered the worst landslide since 2007 which claimed 127 lives.