22 dead, 300,000 marooned as floods batter Cox's Bazar

22 Dead, 300,000 Marooned as Floods Batter Cox's Bazar

At least 22 people have died and around 300,000 others have been marooned after five days of torrential rain and flash floods inundated large parts of Cox's Bazar.

The flooding, triggered by heavy rainfall and upstream hill runoff, has submerged vast areas of Chakaria, Matamuhuri, Pekua and Ramu as the Matamuhuri and Bakkhali rivers flowed above danger levels. Homes, croplands and shrimp farms have gone under water, while road communication has been severely disrupted.

Officials said 15 of the deaths occurred in Rohingya camps in Ukhiya, with the remaining fatalities reported in Cox's Bazar town, Chakaria, Pekua, Maheshkhali and Kutubdia. Two children were killed in a landslide in Chakaria early Friday.

The Bangladesh Water Development Board said both rivers remained above danger levels, while the Meteorological Office recorded 547mm of rainfall over the past five days and forecast more heavy rain until July 11.

District authorities have opened emergency control rooms, prepared 648 shelters and continued rescue and relief operations. Residents in landslide-prone areas have been advised to move to safer places.