16 dead in Chattogram floods, three remain missing
At least 16 people had been killed and three remained missing across Chattogram due to floods caused by incessant rains and landslides over the past one week, UNB reports.
The District Relief and Rehabilitation Office reported that houses, crops, and businesses have incurred a total loss of Tk 1.35 billion due to the recent floods.
The areas most severely affected by the floods are Chandanaish, Satkania, and Lohagara upazilas in the southern district. These regions were submerged in water for three consecutive days starting from Monday night. The power supply was disrupted for the same duration, and the Chattogram-Cox's Bazar highway was impassable due to flooding caused by several days of heavy rainfall.
Although traffic resumed on the highway on Thursday morning, power restoration has yet to reach many areas, according to officials.
Md Saifullah Mazumder, the District Relief and Rehabilitation Officer, stated that the damages have accumulated to Tk 1.35 billion as of Thursday.
Meanwhile, as the water started to recede on Wednesday, the bodies of several missing individuals were discovered.
A total of 16 people died in five upazilas of Chattogram till Thursday night, said the official.
Saifullah said: “Three are still missing. Of the deceased, seven died in Satkania, four in Lohagara, two in Chandanaish, one each in Banshkhali, one in Rauzan and one in Chattogram city.”
Meanwhile, Anwar Hossain, the Officer-in-Charge of Chandanaish Police Station, reported that one person is missing in Chandanaish upazila.
Among the flood-affected regions, Satkania, Lohagara, and Chandanaish upazilas experienced a three-day power outage. The residents in these areas encountered numerous challenges, including a shortage of clean water.
However, starting from Wednesday night, the water level in these areas began to recede, and power has gradually been restored in certain locations.
Dilip Chandra Chowdhury, senior manager of Chattogram Palli Bidyut Samity-1, said, "So far, electricity connection has been restored in all the upazilas of the south except Satkania. Work is also going on in Satkania and we hope to restore electricity there soon.”
According to district administration sources, 6,35,000 people have been marooned in the district and 6,753 people have been taken to shelter homes.
According to the Patenga Meteorological Office, Chottogram received 664 mm of rainfall in the last seven days. Of these, 42.8 mm rainfall was recorded on 4 August, 64.2 mm on 5 August, 231.5 mm on 6 August and 216.4 mm on 7 August.