Bangladesh floods and landslides kill 51, displace more than 1 million

Flash floods and landslides across Bangladesh killed 51 people and injured 39, with Cox’s Bazar alone accounting for 28 deaths. More than 1.02 million people were affected, nearly 268,000 families were left stranded and authorities opened 1,049 shelter centres as heavy rain kept pounding the southeast.

The disaster spread across seven districts, Khagrachhari, Rangamati, Bandarban, Cox’s Bazar, Chattogram, Moulvibazar and Habiganj, cutting through 59 upazilas, 368 unions and 12 municipalities. Chattogram Division bore much of the strain, where heavy rainfall since July 5 had affected about 536,000 people and displaced around 17,000 as flooding and landslides continued to move through low-lying and hill communities.

The toll included 13 deaths in Chattogram, six in Bandarban, three in Rangamati and one in Moulvibazar. Disaster Management and Relief Minister Asadul Habib Dulu said the government had taken all necessary preparations to deal with flood and landslide risk, and 100 metric tonnes of rice and Tk 5 lakh had been allocated for each of the remaining districts as preparedness support.

The worst damage in Cox’s Bazar fell on the same hillsides and camp-side settlements that have repeatedly been exposed to monsoon danger, especially around the Rohingya refugee camps in Ukhiya. Around 50 students were sheltering in a madrasa when one hillside collapsed there.

Bangladesh’s disaster minister said floods and cyclones caused an estimated Tk 412 billion in losses between 2021 and 2025, killed 249 people and affected 17.7 million more.