Cox’s Bazar is submerged due to continuous heavy rainfall, leaving around 25,000 tourists stranded along with the local residents. Flooding has severely impacted the roads and streets, particularly in the Kolatoli hotel-motel zone, causing immense inconvenience. At least 20 unions in nine upazilas of the district have been inundated, leaving thousands trapped by rising water levels.
The relentless downpour has also caused deadly landslides, resulting in the deaths of six people, including three from the same family in Jhilongja Union, Cox’s Bazar Sadar, and three from a family in Rohingya Camp 14 in Ukhiya.
The victims include Akhi Akter (25), her two daughters, Miha Jannat Naima (7) and Latifa Islam (2), from the village of South Dikkul in Jhilongja. In Ukhiya, Rohingya refugees Abdur Rahim (30), Abdul Hafez (10), and Abdul Wahed (8) tragically lost their lives in the landslide. The local administration confirmed the casualties, with additional district administrator Bibhishan Kanti Dash and RRRC officer Shamshud Douza Noyon providing details.
This is not the first instance of deadly landslides in the area. Earlier this year, on June 19, a landslide in the Ukhiya Rohingya camps claimed 10 lives in a single day. Other incidents have also resulted in casualties, with a total of 27 deaths from landslides recorded in Cox’s Bazar this monsoon season.
Cox’s Bazar experienced record-breaking rainfall on Friday, with 501 millimeters recorded in just 24 hours. The previous record was 467 millimeters, set on June 24, 2015. The lack of proper drainage systems exacerbated the situation, as major roads and areas like Kolatoli became impassable due to knee- to waist-deep water.
Tourists are mostly confined to their hotel rooms due to the flooded streets. Mosharraf Hossain, General Manager of Hotel Media International, reported that 50 tourists are currently stranded in 25 rooms at their facility. Kazi Shahabuddin, a tourist from Dhaka, expressed his frustration, calling Cox’s Bazar an “unplanned tourist city,” where even a small amount of rain causes severe issues.
Abul Kashem Sikder, President of the Cox’s Bazar Hotel-Motel-Guest House Owners Association, mentioned that although some tourists have left, at least 25,000 remain trapped in various hotels due to the ongoing rain and flooding.