Torrential rain, flood claim 11 lives

At least four people died in landslide and flash flood due to the ongoing torrential rains in southeastern districts on Saturday. Also, the bodies of seven victims of boat capsize were recovered from Cox’s Bazar and Noakhali districts on the day. A schoolgirl died as the roof of their two-storey building collapsed on her during the torrential rain in Khulna. River erosion in the southern districts of Bogra and Kurigram took a serious turn while the flood situation in the port city Chittagong improved, reports received from the districts said. The Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre of Bangladesh Water Development Board in Dhaka said the Jamuna, the Ganges-Padma and rivers in south-eastern hill basins were on a rising trend while water in rivers Kansa, Sangu and Matamuhuri had been flowing over the danger level. The Meteorological department officials in Dhaka said monsoon was active over Bangladesh and vigorous over the north Bay, and the rainfall may ease on Sunday. New Age correspondent in Cox’s Bazaar reported the flood situation worsened in the district and seven people died in different upazilas in the district on Saturday, while around 15 lakh people remained waterlogged due to onrush of floodwater. In Teknaf upazila, Masuda Khaton, 40, and her daughter Sahana Akter Sahano, 14, died in a landslide at Poranpara village in the morning. Pekoua upazila chairman Sefyeat Karim Raju said a child drowned in the flood water on Saturday in his upazila. Bodies of Anwar Ali and a class IX student Kawsain Karim of Lakharchar, who went missing after a boat capsized on Friday, were found Saturday morning in the river Matamohori, police said. Bodies of missing Homyra Begum, 25, and Kamrunnahar, 20, of Kachapiha union of Ramu upazila were recovered from river Bagkhali at Gorjonia point of the upazila Friday morning, hours after their boat capsized due to strong currents. The flood protection embankment of river Bakkhali at Jolekarpara of Ramu and Kochpara point on the river Matamohuri of Chakoria was breached by flood water. Our correspondent in Noakhali reported three fishermen – Md Jamal Majhi, 50, Md Abdul Motin, 25 and Md Rakib, 19, died as their boat capsized in Meghna River at Surjamukhi khal area under Hatiya upazila in the morning due to strong currents and inclement weather. All the victims were inhabitants of village Sunnerchar of the same upazila. In Khulna, a class VIII schoolgirl, Abida Arabi Sarafi, was declared dead at Khulna Medical College Hospital as the roof of their two-storey building collapsed on her at Ahsan Ahmed Road in the city at around 10:00am, police said. In Bogra, erosion of Jamuna River took a serious turn and over 100 houses of Kamalpur, Chandanbaisha and Kutubpur villages of Sariakandi were destroyed as the river water was being receding on Saturday, according to our correspondent. Our Correspondent in Kurigram reported the water level on all the rivers including the Dharla, Brahmaputra, Teesta, Dudkumer, Phulkumer and Zinzeram was increasing due to rainfall and onrush of water from upstream. The Brahmaputra river is eroding at some points in Chilmari and Rajibpur upazila devouring a good number of houses and crop lands over the last few days. New Age Correspondent in Chittagong reported the flash flood situation improved in Chittagong and traffic movement resumed on major routes as water level reduced considerably. The Chittagong port authority that suspended loading-unloading of goods in both outer and inner anchorages Thursday allowed movement on a limited scale since Saturday morning. However, over 30 large size cargo ships were stranded at the outer anchorage of Chittagong port as the torrential monsoon rain stopped the cargo lightering work for the past four days. News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net