Landslide, fallen tree block Ctg–Kaptai road

KAPTAI, RANGAMATI, July 7: Vehicular movement on the Chattogram�"Kaptai road was suspended for several hours on Tuesday after a landslide and a large uprooted tree blocked the highway in the Baluchhara area of Kaptai amid continuous heavy rainfall.

The incident occurred around 10:30 am in Ward No. 9 of Wagga Union, where soil from a nearby hill slid onto the road while a large tree toppled across the carriageway, disrupting traffic and temporarily cutting off electricity, local authorities said.

Fire-fighters, officials from the Forest Department and the Power Development Board, along with local residents, launched a joint operation to remove the tree and clear the debris from the road. As of filing this report, efforts to restore traffic were continuing.

No casualties were reported.

Officer-in-Charge of Kaptai Police Station Sheikh Mahmudul Hasan Rubel confirmed that persistent rainfall since Monday night triggered the landslide and caused the tree to fall, leaving vehicles stranded on both sides of the road.

Kaptai Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Md Raihanul Islam visited the affected area along with other officials and inspected vulnerable locations.

The administration also carried out loudspeaker announcements urging residents living at the foothills to move to safer places. Around 500 families living on unstable hill slopes in the Dhakaia Colony area of Kaptai New Market have been identified as being at risk.

The UNO said 18 emergency shelters had been opened across the upazila's five unions on the instructions of the deputy commissioner. He said the shelters are equipped to provide food and other essential support for evacuees.

Authorities also received reports of minor landslides and damage to homesteads in different parts of the upazila following the prolonged rainfall.