Downpours in parts of the country over the last three days have resulted in three deaths, suspension of rail communication, waterlogging in cities, and severe traffic jams.

In Gazipur, three people, including an eight-year-old child, died in separate incidents of mud wall collapse during heavy rain in Sadar and Kaliakair upazilas.

Mymensingh city experienced 378 millimetres of rain in 24 hours preceding 6:00am yesterday, the second highest recorded in the country since independence, said Bazlur Rashid, a meteorologist of the Bangladesh Meteorological Department.

Much of the divisional city was submerged.

Rail communication between Mymensingh and Kishoreganj has remained suspended since yesterday morning as rail tracks went underwater in Kannika area of Kishoreganj Sadar upazila due to incessant rain over the last two days, said AKM Aminul Haque, officer-in-charge of the Government Railway Police (GRP) Station in Kishoreganj.

Two trains bound for Mymensingh from Chattogram and another bound for Chattogram from Mymensingh were stranded at Kishoreganj and Nandail railway stations, the OC said around 6:00pm yesterday.

WATERLOGGING IN RAJSHAHI

Many roads in Rajshahi city have been flooded since Wednesday. However, water started to recede in some areas yesterday.

According to the Met office, Rajshahi city experienced the highest rainfall in a single day in 10 years -- 245.8mm in 24 hours till 1:00pm on Thursday.

Some locals arranged boats for transport at Bornali intersection, while others were seen fishing on different streets.

In the morning yesterday, drains were still overflowing in Bornali and Terokhadia areas, while the road in front of the divisional stadium was submerged.

Water entered more than a hundred houses in Terokhadia area.

"Water is yet to recede completely from our house," Taibur Rahman, a freedom fighter and also a senior journalist residing in the area, said yesterday.

He said his family was in nearly knee-deep water. "We managed to sleep on our beds, but we had to cook at others' houses."

Md Sujat, another Terokhadia resident, said knee-deep water was still on the road in front of his house.

Locals broke the boundary wall of an under-construction building to help water recede, he added.

"I couldn't sleep last night for fear of snakes and had only dry food," said Mukter Hossain, a motor mechanic.

He said his family of three had to depend on relatives for food.

As water was not receding, he and some others rented a machine to pump out water to a nearby drain.

Selim Reza Ronju, deputy chief conservancy officer of Rajshahi City Corporation, said they started pumping out water from some areas, including C&B Mor and Shipaipara.

"We will do the same in the other affected areas in phases," he added.

LIVES LOST IN GAZIPUR

An eight-year-old boy died on Thursday night, and a couple were killed early yesterday after mud walls, weakened by rain, collapsed on them in separate incidents in Gazipur.

The deceased are Faridul Islam, 8, of Konabari under Sadar upazila, and Imarat Hossain, 65, and his wife Achia Begum, 56, of Ratanpur Nolipara village in Kaliakair.

Konabari Police Station Duty Officer Arif Hossain said Faridul sustained injuries when a wall of their mud house collapsed due to heavy rain on Thursday night.

The child was taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, where he died of his injuries.

Baten Hossain, a member of ward-8 of Mouchak Union Parishad, said the wall of the couple's mud house in Kaliakair collapsed and fell on them when rain and strong winds lashed the area. Other members of the family found them dead around 8:00am yesterday, he said.

Large parts of Gazipur city were submerged following incessant rain, causing city dwellers to suffer in gridlock.

Traffic congestion was seen on Rajbari Road, Joydebpur Bazar Bus Stand, Kalaptri Road, West Joydebpur, and Joydebpur intersection till noon yesterday.

People's suffering was heightened due to the ongoing work of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project from Gazipur's Chandana intersection to Abdullahpur, as vehicles had to use one lane in some parts of the road.

Nadim Morol, a youth, said he left the capital's Mohakhali for his Joydevpur home around 5:00pm on Thursday afternoon, and it took him around seven hours to reach home, which is usually a one-hour trip.

Alamgir Hossain, deputy commissioner of police (south) of Gazipur Metropolitan Police's traffic department, said a part of Chandana intersection was submerged.

"We are trying to ease traffic hold-ups by removing broken-down vehicles from the road."

Our Gazipur, Mymensingh, and Rajshahi correspondents contributed to this report.