Relentless rain floods low-lying areas in dists

Homes, roads, and other establishments in many districts, including Cox's Bazar, Bagerhat, Khulna, Jashore, and Barishal, were flooded due to torrential rain caused by a deep land depression.

One person drowned in Cox's Bazar.

A vast tract of low-lying land has gone under water, resulting in inundation of winter vegetables and crops. Many people were waterlogged and without power.

"Now it has been raining heavily in Bangladesh due mainly to the effects of the depression. The situation will start to improve from today," said Abul Kalam Mallik, weather expert at the Dhaka Met office.

He said except Sylhet, all other divisions saw significant rainfall yesterday.

He added that the depression formed near Sandwip Island and gradually moved towards Barishal, Jashore, and then moved towards West Bengal. It is now likely to move west-northwestwards at a rate of five to six km per hour and will weaken gradually.

In Cox's Bazar, a body was recovered from West Kutubdia Para point of the beach yesterday morning.

Although the victim could not be identified immediately, police suspect the person might be a fisherman and drowned at sea.

"We have sent the body to a hospital for an autopsy," said Masudur Rahman, inspector (investigation) of Cox's Bazar Sadar Model Police Station.

Bodies of two fishermen, who went missing after a fishing trawler capsized in the Bay on Friday, were recovered from Inani Beach on Saturday afternoon.

On Friday, six people of two families were killed in landslides triggered by incessant rain in Sadar and Ukhiya upazilas of Cox's Bazar.

In Bagerhat, low-lying areas have been inundated. Fish from many enclosures were washed away.

"Now it has been raining heavily in Bangladesh due mainly to the effects of the depression. The situation will start to improve from today."

— Abul Kalam Mallik, weather expert at the Dhaka Met office.

"Water entered my house on Saturday night. We were compelled to move our furniture and cooking stoves elsewhere. So, we could not cook food today [Sunday]. Now, we are preparing to take shelter at a relative's house," Sagarika Sarker, of Mitha Pukurpar area of Cox's Bazar town, said yesterday.

In Jashore, vegetables and crops on around 140 hectares have been submerged, said officials of Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE).

"If such waterlogging continues in next two days, all the vegetables and crops will be damaged," said Sushant Kumar Tarafdar, deputy director of DAE in Jashore.

"I planted early winter vegetables on around three bighas. My vegetables have been under water for the last two days. I will have to incur huge losses, if my vegetables are damaged," said Abdur Rahim, a farmer of Hamidpur area in Jashore Sadar upazila.

In Pirojpur and Barguna, around 2.5 lakh people are without electricity since Saturday afternoon.

Power supply, which was suspended due to the rough weather, will be restored after the weather improves, said Amit Das, assistant general manager of Pirojpur Palli Bidyut Samity.

Besides, different roads in Pirojpur have been damaged.

[Our correspondents from respective districts contributed to this report.]