Rain and landslides have killed more than 86 people in Bangladesh as monsoon showers swept the country, officials said on Monday. Heavy rains triggered landslides that buried homes, killing 71 people and leaving scores of others missing in the port city of Chittagong, police and witnesses said.
Some 70 others were admitted to hospitals with injuries while nearly 100 more are missing, rescuers and Chittagong district officials said. "We are facing a hell of a situation here," one rescuer said by telephone. "It's still heavily raining, and visibility has sharply declined. Roads are all under water," one rescuer said. "We are facing huge difficulty in trying to help the victims," said another rescue official.
Weather officials said 225 mm (9 inches) of rain fell in Chittagong and neighbouring districts on Monday, the highest-ever recorded in a 10-hour period.
"The disaster caught us unawares, it struck suddenly," said Mokhlesur Rahman, Chittagong Divisional Commissioner. Army, fire-fighters and police have joined volunteers in the search and rescue effort, but flooded roads were a big problem, witnesses and officials said.
The landslide deaths in four areas of Chittagong included five from one family, rescuers said. Shops, schools, offices and businesses were closed and residents were stranded by waist-high water in some areas. Thunderstorms killed 15 people elsewhere in the country, including five in western Jhenaidah district alone, local officials told reporters.
Weather officials said heavy rains at the onset of the annual monsoon season have paralysed much of Bangladesh since Sunday, and raised fears of flash floods in low-lying areas. The weather office said the monsoon, which officially began on Friday and will last until mid-September, was unusually active under the influence of a sea storm in the Bay of Bengal.
"Moderate to very heavy rain with wind gusts up to 50 kph (30 mph) or more are likely to batter the country for five more days," a weather department bulletin said. "The rain might trigger flash floods in the northern and eastern regions of the country." Large areas along the Bangladesh coast have been submerged under 3-4 feet (0.9-1.2 metres) of water due to a moderate tidal surge triggered by the storm, officials said on Monday.
Some of the railway tracks between Chittagong and the capital Dhaka were also under water, although trains were still running with caution. Flights between Dhaka and Chittagong have been suspended, aviation officials said. Work at the country's main Chittagong port was partially disrupted, port officials said.