United News of Bangladesh

Five members of two families including a four-year-old child were killed after landslides triggered by heavy rainfall buried their homes in Lama upazila of Bandarban district early Thursday. The victims were asleep when chunks of mud collapsed onto their houses in remote Mission Para area of Aziznagar Union around 4 am, said Aziznagar Union acting chairman Mobarak Hossain. The deceased  were Md. Yunus, 28, his wife Ranu Akter,22, their four-year-old son Md. Soleman, Md. Jewel ,27 and his wife Kulsuma Akter ,23. Mobarak Hossain said police, fire service personnel, and local residents conducted rescue operations but all five victims had already died before they could be recovered. Lama Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md. Kaiser Hamid said the bodies have been recovered and handed over to the victims' families. In a separate incident around 1:30 am, another landslide hit the home of Aziznagar Union Parishad reserved female member Rehana Begum, leaving her seriously injured. Continuous downpours  and water from upstream hills have also caused flash floods, inundating around 1,000 houses in Lama municipality and several unions. More than 200 houses have been destroyed by landslides while key roads have suffered extensive damage, disrupting communication throughout the upazila, according to local administration. Floodwaters submerged sections of the Lama–Alikadam road in the Kearajhiri, Repara Residential, and Linejhiri areas, bringing traffic to a complete halt. Landslides have further severed internal road links, leaving many communities isolated. Seasonal seedbeds and croplands in different unions have gone underwater, threatening the livelihoods of local farmers. Local public representatives said that flash floods submerged low-lying areas across all seven unions and the municipality, inundating homes, markets, government and private offices, and educational institutions. Water levels in the Matamuhuri River and several hill streams including Lama Khal, Bamu Khal, Yangcha Khal, Bagaichhari Khal, and Popa Khal rose abnormally, leaving nearly 12,000 people stranded in their homes, they said. Local administration has been urging residents living in landslide-prone hills to evacuate to safer locations. The upazila administration, municipality, union parishads, and several non-governmental organizations have also launched disaster preparedness activities. A total of 55 educational institutions have been opened as temporary emergency shelters, where several hundred displaced families have already taken refuge. By Thursday afternoon, the water level of the Matamuhuri River has exceeded the danger mark. Fasiakhali Union Parishad Chairman Omar Faruk said nearly 50 houses in his union have been damaged by landslides. Lama Sadar Union Acting Chairman Shahidul Islam reported that another 50 houses were destroyed by landslides while approximately 100 houses were flooded, leaving  around 1,000 families marooned. Lama Municipality Administrator and Upazila Nirbahi Officer Md. Moin Uddin said local authorities haave been issuing warnings since the onset of heavy rainfall, urging residents in vulnerable hillside areas to evacuate. Officials also visited homes to encourage people to move to safer locations. "Despite our repeated warnings, five people, including a child, lost their lives in Mission Para. Around 1,000 houses and business establishments have also been inundated," he said. He added that the municipality is distributing food and safe drinking water among flood-affected residents and those staying in emergency shelters. However, disrupted mobile network services and damaged roads have made it difficult to assess the full extent of the destruction as of Thursday. The administration has warned that if the rainfall continues, the risk of further landslides and flash flooding will remain high across Lama and surrounding areas.