Two Children Killed in Separate Chittagong Landslides Following Heavy Rain

A period of relentless heavy rainfall has triggered two separate landslides in Chittagong, resulting in the tragic deaths of two young children. The fatal incidents occurred on Wednesday, with the first striking Jangal Salimpur in the Sitakunda upazila during the morning, and the second occurring at Chashma Hill under Panchlaish Thana in the afternoon. An injured mother is currently recovering after being pulled from the debris.

The initial disaster took place at approximately 9:00 am in the No. 6 Samaj area of Jangal Salimpur. Days of continuous downpours loosened the hillside, causing a massive torrent of mud and earth to crash down on a makeshift residential dwelling below. Inside the house at the time were a ten-month-old infant, Ashraful Islam Tanvir, and his mother. The impact of the collapsing hillside, combined with heavy wooden support posts, killed the infant instantly. Local residents acted quickly to excavate the site and rescue the mother. The deceased infant was the son of a local resident, Mohammad Mohin Uddin.

A few hours later, a second landslide occurred in the urban centre of Chittagong. Emergency responders from the Fire Service and Civil Defence were alerted to a collapse at Chashma Hill at around 12:45 pm. A rescue team arrived promptly and initiated an excavation operation to clear the mud. Following a half-hour effort, rescuers recovered the body of 12-year-old Sumaiya from beneath the earth at 1:15 pm.

Shah Imran, the Deputy Assistant Director of Chittagong Fire Service and Civil Defence Zone-4, confirmed the details of the second accident. He explained that Sumaiya’s parents had sensed the impending collapse and managed to flee to safety. However, Sumaiya, who was in an adjacent room, became trapped as tonnes of earth blanketed the structure. She died of suffocation before help could reach her. Sumaiya was the daughter of Faruk Hossain, a resident of the hill tract area.

The steep slopes of the Chittagong region are highly vulnerable to mudslides during the monsoon season. Unregulated hill cutting and makeshift settlements on vulnerable slopes frequently lead to such tragedies when heavy downpours saturate the soil. Local authorities have routinely urged residents living in high-risk hill settlements to relocate to emergency shelters during periods of heavy rain, but many remain reluctant to leave their homes. Emergency operations have concluded, and police are currently assisting the families.