4 killed in Bandarban landslides

Four people including a couple and their two-year old baby girl were killed in separate landslides amid heavy rain in Bandarban today.

Md Hanif, 30, his wife Rijia, 25 and their two-year old baby girl Halima Begum were buried alive when a chunk of mud fell on their tin-shed house in Kalaiya Para village under Sarai union of Bandarban’s Lama upazila this morning, Nure-A-Jannat, upazila nirbahi officer (UNO) of Lama upazila, told our Bandarban correspondent.

Meanwhile in Bir Bahadur Nagor area of Bandarban, one Protima Das, 45, was also buried alive when a chunk of mud fell on her tin-shed house around 11:45am, police said.

Body of the victim was recovered and sent to Bandarban Sadar Hospital after police and members of fire service department conducted a rescue operation with the help of locals there, Golam Sarwar, officer-in-charge (OC) of Sadar Police Station, said.

Protima and her husband, Milon Das, were inside the house during the landslide, the OC said.

A new housing project, mostly of tin-shed houses, has been established recently cutting hills in the area, Md Aslam Hossain, deputy commissioner of Bandarban, told our correspondent.

Road communication between the district and Rangamati was also suspended this morning as Pulpara Bridge went under water, said Sajib Ahmed, executive engineer of Roads and Highways Department’s Bandarban unit.