Five Killed in Bandarban Landslide After Heavy Rain

At least five people, including a couple and a child, were killed in a landslide triggered by days of heavy rainfall in Lama Upazila of Bandarban early Thursday.

The incident occurred around 4:00am in the Mission Para area of Ward No. 2 under Aziznagar Union, when a large section of a hillside collapsed onto two houses while the occupants were asleep.

The deceased were identified as Md Yunus, 28, his wife Ranu Akter, 22, and their four-year-old son Md Soleman. The other victims were Md Jewel, 34, and his wife Kulsuma Akter, 25, who were originally from Halishahar in Chattogram and had been living in the area for work.

Acting Chairman of Aziznagar Union Parishad Md Mobarak Hossain confirmed the identities of the victims.

Local residents, along with personnel from the Fire Service and Civil Defence and police, launched a rescue operation after the incident. Following several hours of efforts, rescuers recovered the bodies of all five victims from beneath the debris.

In a separate landslide earlier the same night, reserved female Union Parishad member Rehana Begum sustained serious injuries after her house in Uttar Para of Aziznagar Union was damaged. She was rescued by local residents and admitted to Ma Moni General Hospital in Lohagara Upazila for treatment.

Officer-in-Charge of Lama Police Station Md Kaisar Hamid said the bodies had been handed over to the victims' families. He added that police were preparing an unnatural death (UD) case in connection with the incident.