United News of Bangladesh

Indonesian rescuers retrieved two more bodies after they resumed their search Wednesday for people missing after floods and landslides on Indonesia’s main island of Java, bringing the death toll to 19. Waters from flooded rivers tore through nine villages in Pekalongan regency of Central Java province and landslides tumbled onto mountainside hamlets after the torrential rains Monday. Videos and photos released by National Search and Rescue Agency showed workers digging desperately in villages where roads and green-terraced rice fields were transformed into murky brown mud and villages were covered by thick mud, rocks and uprooted trees. National Disaster Management Agency spokesperson Abdul Muhari said flooding triggered a landslide that buried two houses and a cafe in the Petungkriyono resort area. The disasters all together destroyed 25 houses, a dam and three main bridges connecting villages in Pekalongan. At least 13 people injured and nearly 300 people were forced to flee to temporary government shelters. The search and rescue operation that was hampered by bad weather, mudslides and rugged terrain was halted Tuesday afternoon due to heavy rain and thick fog that made devastated areas along the rivers dangerous to rescuers. On Wednesday, they searched in rivers and the rubble of villages for bodies and, whenever possible, survivors in worst-hit Kasimpar village, said Budiono, who heads a local rescue office. Scores of rescue personnel recovered two mud-caked bodies as they searched a Petungkriyono area where tons of mud and rocks buried two houses and a café. Rescuers are still searching for seven people reported missing. Read: Landslides, flash floods in Indonesia kill 17, missing 8 Landslides and floods were also reported in many other provinces, Muhari said. On Monday, a landslide hit five houses in Denpasar on the tourist island of Bali, killing four people and leaving one missing. Heavy seasonal rain from about October to March frequently causes flooding and landslides in Indonesia, an archipelago of 17,000 islands where millions of people live in mountainous areas or near fertile floodplains. The British Geological Survey defines a landslide as a mass movement of material, such as rock, earth, or debris moving down a slope. Landslides can happen suddenly or slowly and can be caused by rain, erosion, or changes to the slope’s material. Rain adds weight to the slope, making it more unstable. The slope’s steepness or erosion at the base can make landslides more likely. They can be caused by the movement of nearby bodies of water or vibrations from earthquakes, mining or traffic. The types and sizes of the rocks and soils can determine how much water land can absorb before weakening and collapsing. Studies have found that landslides could become more frequent as climate change increases rainfall.

Indonesian rescuers recovered the bodies of at least 17 people who were swept away in flash floods or buried under tons of mud and rocks that hit hilly villages on the country’s main island of Java, officials said Tuesday. Eight people were missing. Torrential rains on Monday caused rivers to burst their banks, tearing through nine villages in Pekalongan regency of Central Java province, as mud, rocks and trees tumbled down on mountainside hamlets, said Bergas Catursasi, who heads the local Disaster Management Agency. He said rescue workers by Tuesday had recovered at least 17 bodies in the worst-hit village of Petungkriyono, and were searching for eight villagers who were reported missing. Eleven injured people managed to escape and were rushed to nearby hospitals, Catursari said, AP reports. Television reports showed police, soldiers and rescue workers using excavators, farm equipment and their bare hands to search through the rubble in devastated villages. Others carried victims on bamboo stretchers or in body bags to ambulances or trucks. Magnitude 6.4 Earthquake in Taiwan Injures 27 “Bad weather, mudslides and rugged terrain hampered the rescue operation,” Catursari said, adding that people who were fishing in the river or taking shelter from the rain were swept away by the floods. The search was suspended Tuesday afternoon due to heavy rain and thick fog and will be resumed early Wednesday, said Budiono, head of the provincial Search and Rescue Office. National Disaster Management Agency spokesperson Abdul Muhari said flash floods swept away villagers and vehicles passing through devastated villages and triggered a landslide that buried two houses. The floods also destroyed two main bridges connecting villages in Pekalongan district. On Monday, a landslide hit five houses in Denpasar on the tourist island of Bali, killing four people and leaving one missing, Muhari said. The landslide also injured three people. Floods were also reported in many other provinces. Smoke from California Lithium Battery Plant fire sparks air quality concerns Heavy seasonal rain from about October to March frequently causes flooding and landslides in Indonesia, an archipelago of 17,000 islands where millions of people live in mountainous areas or near fertile floodplains. Last month, a landslide, flash floods and strong winds hit Sukabumi district of West Java province, killing 12 people. In November, a landslide and flash floods triggered by heavy downpours hit North Sumatra province, leaving 20 dead and two missing. A landslide in the region also hit a tourist bus, killing nine people.

Indonesian rescuers have recovered 20 bodies and are looking for two villagers who remain missing after flash floods on Sumatra island caused mud and rocks to tumble down mountainsides, officials said Tuesday. Torrential rains over the weekend caused rivers to burst their banks in four hilly districts in North Sumatra province, washing away houses and destroying farms. Four more bodies were recovered Monday evening in Karo Regency, bringing the total there to 10, National Disaster Management Agency spokesperson Abdul Muhari said in a statement Tuesday. Landslide and flash floods hit Indonesia’s Sumatra island, leaving 16 dead and 6 missing Flash floods also left four people dead in Deli Serdang district, and rescue workers were still searching for two people who were swept away. Earlier, rescuers recovered two bodies in villages in South Tapanuli district, and four members of a family, including two children, in Harang Julu, a mountainside village in Padang Lawas district. Three months after Feni flood 1,718 families left with nothing, struggling for aid Seasonal rain from about October to March frequently causes flooding and landslides in Indonesia, an archipelago of 17,000 islands where millions of people live in mountainous areas or near fertile flood plains.

Rescue teams from Bosnia's neighbors and European Union countries on Sunday were joining efforts to clear the rubble and find people still missing from floods and landslides that devastated parts of the Balkan country. Bosnia sought EU help after a heavy rainstorm overnight on Friday left entire areas under water and debris destroyed roads and bridges, killing at least 18 people and wounding dozens. “Our hearts and thoughts are with the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina, hit by devastating floods,” EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on X. “We have activated our EU Civil Protection Mechanism and are sending rescue teams on the ground. This is EU solidarity in action.” Officials said that at least 10 people are still unaccounted for, many of them in the village of Donja Jablanica, in southern Bosnia, which was almost completely buried in rocks and rubble from a quarry on a hill above. Residents there have said they heard a thundering rumble and saw houses disappear before their eyes. Read: Rescue teams search for missing after floods, landslides kill at least 16 in Bosnia “We heard water and rock coming down from the hill. I told my son, Let's go up to the attic, we don’t know what’s going to happen," recalled Munevera Dautbegovic. “In the morning when we got out, we saw large amount of sand around.” Regional Gov. Nermin Niksic visited the village on Sunday, promising help to rebuild. “All material damage can be compensated somehow but human lives cannot. Grief will stay on.” Earlier on Sunday, Luigi Soreca, who heads the EU mission in Bosnia, said on X that teams wer arriving to help. Bosnia is a candidate country for membership in the 27-nation bloc. Authorities said Croatian rescuers have already arrived while a team from Serbia is expected to be deployed in the afternoon, followed by a Slovenian team with dogs. Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Czechia and Turkey have also offered help, a government statement said. Sunday is the date of a local election in Bosnia. Election authorities have postponed voting in the flood-hit regions, but the flooding has overshadowed the vote across the country. Read more: Flooding from seasonal rains threatens residents in northern Thailand, including elephants Ismeta Bucalovic, a resident of Sarajevo, Bosnia's capital, said “we are all overwhelmed by these flooding events. We all think only about that.” Impoverished and ethnically divided, Bosnia has struggled to recover after the brutal war in 1992-95. The country is plagued by political bickering and corruption, stalling its EU bid.

Three people, including a mother and her daughter, were killed and six others injured in landslides in Bandarban district on Monday and Tuesday. Shah Mozahid Uddin, deputy commissioner of Bandarban, said Nurul Islam, 35 was killed and six others were injured when a chunk of mud collapsed on his house at Kumari in Lama upazila in the morning. The injured were taken to a local hospital where four of them were given first aid. Heavy rains inundate parts of Bandarban; 165 mm rainfall recorded in 24 hrs Meanwhile, Nurunnahar, 35 and her daughter Sabekunnahar, 12 were killed in a landslide in Godapara in Sadar upazila of the district on Monday afternoon. The local administration apprehended more loss of lives due to the landslide triggered by the torrential rain for the last few days. Torrential rain causes flood in Bandarban; Around 30,000 people marooned Besides, road communication of Bandarban district with other parts of the country remained suspended for the last couple of days as all the roads were submerged due to the intermittent rainfall. The power supply in the district remained suspended since Monday following the closure of the a power sub-station amid the flood sitution. Road communications between Bandarban-Thanchi restored after 5 hours Shah Mozahid Uddin, deputy commissioner said already 265 shelters have been opened as the two-third portion of the district town were inundated, rendering 300 people marooned. Already 85 metric tonnes of food and Tk one lakh have been allocated while 43 medical teams are working in the flood-hit areas.  

Four members of a family were pulled from the debris on Monday after a landslide on Chittagong University (CU) campus triggered by torrential rain for the last several days.The big chunk of mud from a hill fell on the house of Md Hanif, a staff of Biology Faculty, at Shahi colony around 4:30 am when he along with his wife and two children were asleep. 250 families evacuated from hilly areas in Chattogram fearing landslideQuoting local people CU proctor Prof. Md Nurul Azim, said a chunk of mud from a hill with a tree collapsed on the house of Hanif, leaving the house inmates trapped. People living in Rangamati hills amid landslide risk asked to move to sheltersThe walls of the house also collapsed.Later, local people managed to rescue them alive. Flooding and a landslide in eastern China leave 5 dead and 3 missingHanif was injured and taken to a local hospital.

Bangladesh Meteorological Department has predicted heavy to very heavy rainfall in Chattogram, Sylhet and Barishal divisions that may trigger landslides in five districts. According to a special bulletin of Met office, Chattogram, Sylhet and Barishal divisions are likely to experience heavy to very heavy rainfall as the very severe cyclonic storm Mocha over east central Bay and adjoining area moved North-Northeastwards over the same area. Also Read: Met office predicts rain or thundershowers in Dhaka, other divisions Due to very heavy rainfall landslides may occur in the hilly regions of Cox’s Bazar, Bandarbans, Rangamati, Khagrachhari and Chattogram, it said.

The death toll from flash floods and landslides in eastern Congo has risen to 176, with some 100 people still missing, according to a provisional assessment given by the governor and authorities in the country's South Kivu province. Rivers broke their banks in villages in the territory of Kalehe close to the shores of Lake Kivu. Authorities also reported scores of people injured. South Kivu Gov. Théo Ngwabidje visited the area to see the destruction for himself, and posted on his Twitter account that the provincial government had dispatched medical, shelter and food supplies. Several main roads to the affected area have been been made impassable by the rains, hampering the relief efforts. President Felix Tshisekedi has declared a national day of mourning on Monday to honor the victims, and the central government is sending a crisis management team to South Kivu to support the provincial government. Heavy rains in recent days have brought misery to thousands in East Africa, with parts of Uganda and Kenya also seeing heavy rainfall. Flooding and landslides in Rwanda, which borders Congo, left 129 people dead earlier this week.  

The Royal Norwegian Embassy in Dhaka and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have signed an agreement for a two-year project for landslide risk management in Cox’s Bazar. The agreement was signed by UNDP Bangladesh Resident Representative Stefan Liller and Norwegian Ambassador to Bangladesh Espen Rikter-Svendsen on behalf of their respective organisations, at the latter’s office on Wednesday. UNDP and Norway have a long and successful history of working together, Espen Rikter-Svendsen said at the signing ceremony. Read: Japan, UNFPA join hands to provide $3.7 million assistance to Rihingyas in Bhasan Char, host communities in Noakhali “Our previous pilot initiative to strengthen landslide monitoring and early warning systems in the camps and host communities has helped save a lot of lives,” he said, adding that “We want to build further on that through this project.” “With our technical expertise on early warning systems and UNDP’s expertise in disaster risk management, I believe this project would be able to effectively reduce the consequences of natural disaster.” “As one of our major contributors, we thank the Norwegian government for being with us as our core partner,” UNDP Bangladesh Resident Representative Stefan Liller said at the signing. “Landslides remain one of the most substantial damaging and recurrent hazards in Cox’s Bazar,” Stefan Liller said. “In 2019, rainfall-induced landslides affected more than 50,000 refugees with 6,300 temporarily displaced, 10 fatalities and 42 injured.” Read: Digital devices increase women's capacity to contribute to livelihoods: UNDP envoy “It also affects the host community, especially the poor and landless people who settle in the foothill areas. It is estimated that around one million people are currently living with landslide risks in Cox’s Bazar District,” the UNDP Resident Representative pointed out. The two-year project will be addressing the risk by enhancing existing landslide warning systems, strengthening disaster management capacities of local government, humanitarian and first responders, and implementing community-led nature-based solutions in the most vulnerable communities. The embassy’s Deputy Head of Mission Silje Fines Wannebo, Senior Advisor Morshed Ahmed and advisor Zohora Farzana Ahmed Bipasha were present at the signing along with UNDP’s Deputy Resident Representative Van Nguyen, Assistant Resident Representatives Prasenjit Chakma and Sarder M Asaduzzaman and Head of Communications Md Abdul Quayyum.  

At least 30 people were reported killed in a 6.8 magnitude earthquake that shook China’s southwestern province of Sichuan on Monday, triggering landslides and shaking buildings in the provincial capital of Chengdu, whose 21 million residents are already under a COVID-19 lockdown. The quake struck a mountainous area in Luding county shortly after noon, the China Earthquake Networks Center said. Sichuan, which sits on the edge of the Tibetan Plateau where tectonic plates meet, is regularly hit by earthquakes. Two quakes in June killed at least four people. The death toll rose to 30 as the search for trapped people continued Monday night, state media said. Earlier, authorities had reported 7 deaths in Luding county and 14 more in neighboring Shimian county to the south. Three of the dead were workers at the Hailuogou Scenic Area, a glacier and forest nature reserve. Also read: Strong undersea quake causes panic in western Indonesia Along with the deaths, authorities reported stones and soil falling from mountainsides, causing damage to homes and power interruptions, state broadcaster CCTV said. One landslide blocked a rural highway, leaving it strewn with rocks, the Ministry of Emergency Management said. Buildings shook in Chengdu, 200 kilometers (125 miles) away from the epicenter. Resident Jiang Danli said she hid under a desk for five minutes in her 31st floor apartment. Many of her neighbors rushed downstairs, wary of aftershocks. “There was a strong earthquake in June, but it wasn’t very scary. This time I was really scared, because I live on a high floor and the shaking made me dizzy,” she told The Associated Press. The earthquake and lockdown follow a heat wave and drought that led to water shortages and power cuts due to Sichuan’s reliance on hydropower. That comes on top of the latest major lockdown under China’s strict “zero-COVID” policy. The past two months in Chengdu “have been weird,” Jiang said. Also read: 7.3 earthquake hits north Philippines, causes some damage The U.S. Geological Survey recorded a magnitude of 6.6 for Monday’s quake at a relatively shallow depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles). Preliminary measurements by different agencies often differ slightly. China’s deadliest earthquake in recent years was a 7.9 magnitude quake in 2008 that killed nearly 90,000 people in Sichuan. The temblor devastated towns, schools and rural communities outside Chengdu, leading to a years-long effort to rebuild with more resistant materials.