TIL Desk/World/Dhaka/ A series of landslides triggered by torrential rains have killed at least 53 people, including two army officers, in northeastern Bangladesh, officials said today amid fears that the death toll could rise as many people remain buried under tonnes of rubble.
The highest 36 deaths were reported from Rangamati hill district where at least two army officers were also killed by the landslides. “So far we can confirm to you at least two of our officers were killed and several other personnel injured as they were on duty,” an army spokesman in Dhaka .
He said an army detachment was deployed to clear the road linking the port city with Rangamati as it was blocked by an overnight landslide but while they were working a fresh landslide buried them under tonnes of mud. “But so far we can confirm only two deaths,” he said.
Landslides triggered by torrential rains have killed at least 53 people in Rangamati, Bandarban and Chittagong districts. A least 11 people were killed in Rangunia and Chandanaish upazilas of Chittagong.