Death toll from flood rises to 15; some 48 lakh people affected in 11 districts
The causes of their deaths included electrocution, felling of trees and drowning.
Deaths in flood as of 5:15pm, 23 Aug: 4 in Cumilla; 3 in Cox's Bazar; 4 in Chattogram, 1 in Feni, 1 in Noakhali; 1 in Brahmanbaria
At least 15 deaths have been reported across the country as several districts have been flooded in the past three days.
Among the deceased, four died in Cumilla, one in Feni, four in Chattogram, one in Noakhali, one in Brahmanbaria, one in Lakhsmipur, and three in Cox's Bazar.
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Two women were also among the deceased according to a Disaster Management and Relief Ministry press release.
The causes of their deaths included electrocution, felling of trees, and drowning.
In Cumilla, an Alim examinee named Khalid Mahmud died of electrocution in Laksam upazila yesterday (22 August). He lost his life while distributing relief among the flood-affected people.
A child also died in the same upazila after he was carried away by the currents of floodwater, according to Upazila Nirbahi Officer of Laksam Al Amin Hossain.
One of the deceased is Keramot Ali, 45, a resident of the Daudpur area in Cumilla's Nangalkot municipality. He died Wednesday (21 August) night when he went to catch fish near a local bridge.
As he drowned, locals started searching for him. Later, his body was found floating nearby. He was rushed to the local hospital where the doctor on duty declared him dead.
Health Officer of Nangalkot upazila Deb Das Deb said, "Keramot was brought dead to the hospital around midnight. His family took his body after we declared him dead. We've learned that he slipped and fell into water while catching fish and couldn't get out."
Meanwhile, Rafi, 15, an adolescent living in Chotra area of Cumilla city, died after getting electrocuted after touching an electric pole during rain on Wednesday.
Jobayer Hossain, a doctor at Cumilla General Hospital, confirmed the matter.
Another of the victims who died on Wednesday is Shahadat Hossain, an expatriate who died when a tree fell on his head while he was catching fish in floodwater during rain.
The incident happened in Sonakatia Purbopara area in the district's Chauddagram upazila on Wednesday.
Shahadat was the son of Kanu Mia from Sonakatia village.
On Monday, a lawyer named Sohrab Hasan Shohag lost his life after getting electrocuted at Salahuddin intersection of Cumilla city.
Shohag died when he came out on the street after leaving his pregnant wife at a diagnostic centre and got entangled in electric wires that were submerged in floodwater.
Feni River flowing 2 meters above danger level, Halda 1 meter
Feni River in Feni is flowing 2 meters above the danger level, and Halda River in Chattogram is flowing 1 meter above the danger level at some points.
The flood situation has worsened due to rising water levels and inundated new areas on the river banks.
At least five lakh people of Mirsharai, Fatikchari, Hathazari, Rangunia and Raozan upazilas of Chattogram have been trapped in water, according to the district administration.
Villages, fish enclosures, crop fields inundated in Khulna
Several villages, fish enclosures and crop fields were inundated by heavy tides in Dakop and Paikgasa upazilas respectively of Khulna after the river embankments collapsed.
The Panikhali embankment in Dakop upazila collapsed inundating fish farms and villages. Similarly, in Paikgasa's Diluhti union, the WAPDA embankment also gave in allowing water to enter residential areas.
Locals said that at around 1pm on Thursday, the WAPDA embankment at the southern end of the 22nd Polder in Kalinagar, Diluhti union, broke apart due to the high tide.
This breach, extending over 300 feet, has flooded the villages of Kalinagar, Horinkhola and Darunmallik. Recently planted paddies and seedbeds, along with homes, have been submerged.
Over a hundred villages flooded in Cumilla
Hundreds of villages in Cumilla became inundated as the dam on the Gumti river broke during the early hours today.
Water started entering the localities through a small hole in the dam at the Burburia area of Cumilla's Burichang upazila around midnight yesterday. Within a short time, the hole expanded significantly, and water started flooding Burichang.
As of 9am this morning, reports indicate that over a hundred villages in Burichang and Brahmanpara have been submerged.
Some six lakh people stranded in Lakshmipur
Around six lakh people have been stranded by floods triggered by the excessive rainfall and unusual tides under the influence of the monsoon in the coastal district of Lakshmipur.
Hundreds of low-lying villages including four municipal towns of the district have been affected by the unprecedented floods, disrupting daily life, said locals.
Since Thursday morning, water levels have been rising in various parts of the town and surrounding areas, with torrential rain persisting.
Locals said many homes are inundated, making cooking and other daily activities difficult. Some have had to seek refuge with relatives or in shelter centers due to the severe conditions.
Several hundred fish farms, poultry farms, aman seedbeds and vegetable fields have been damaged in the district.
