Monsoon Deluge Leaves 28 Dead Across Cox’s Bazar

Torrential monsoon downpours have pushed the flood situation in Cox’s Bazar to catastrophic levels, leaving behind a trail of destruction and mounting casualties. Continuous rainfall has severely aggravated the suffering of residents in inundated areas. The local administration has officially confirmed that the death toll from separate incidents of flooding and landslides across the coastal district has now risen to 28. On Sunday, 12 July 2026, the Deputy Commissioner of Cox’s Bazar, M A Mannan, confirmed the updated casualty figures, highlighting the severity of the ongoing humanitarian crisis.

The relentless weather pattern has offered little respite to the affected population. According to local residents, the rain had eased slightly on Saturday, causing floodwaters to recede in some sectors. However, the reprieve was short-lived. Heavy downpours resumed with renewed intensity from Saturday night through to Sunday morning, causing water levels to surge once more in the flood-affected zones. This secondary inundation has left displaced families facing acute shortages of food and clean drinking water. Simultaneously, the risk of catastrophic landslides has escalated significantly. In response, the administration and various rescue agencies have intensified their efforts, deploying loudspeakers across vulnerable settlements to warn residents and urge them to evacuate to safer ground.

Relief operations have been launched by district and sub-district administrations, supplemented by various political and social organisations. Nevertheless, the scale of the aid distribution remains a point of contention. Muhammad Shahjahan, the Assistant Secretary General of Jamaat-e-Islami, stated during an aid distribution drive in Chakaria, Ramu, Cox’s Bazar Sadar, and Ukhiya that the humanitarian assistance provided thus far is vastly inadequate compared to the extent of the damage. He emphasised the urgent need for the government to bolster its relief distribution network. Conversely, local lawmakers and political figures have been active on the ground. Lutfur Rahman Kajal, the Member of Parliament for the Cox’s Bazar Sadar constituency, visited affected areas to distribute emergency supplies and provided financial aid to the families of landslide victims. Similar efforts are being conducted in Pekua under the direction of Safuanul Karim on behalf of the Home Minister, with teams working day and night to distribute dry food and clean water.

Among the latest casualties reported, a 19-month-old toddler, Mushfikur Rahim, drowned in floodwaters in the Bolirpara area of Pekua Sadar union on Saturday night. The sub-district executive officer (UNO) for Pekua, Rafiqul Islam, confirmed that the child was the son of an expatriate worker, Nasir Uddin. Local sources revealed that the family home was inundated with knee-deep water, whilst the courtyard was submerged up to waist level. The child’s mother was working outside the room when the toddler was silently swept away by the strong current. Following a frantic search, family members discovered his body floating approximately 150 feet away from the house. He was rushed to a local hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead. UNO Rafiqul Islam noted that whilst the overall situation in Pekua has shown marginal improvement, extensive areas remain waterlogged, necessitating extreme vigilance, particularly regarding the safety of young children.

Landslides have proven equally fatal. On Saturday evening, a 40-year-old homemaker, Rozina Begum, was killed when a hillside collapsed on her kitchen in the Jhorjhoripara area of Jhilongja Union. The Deputy Director of Cox’s Bazar Fire Service and Civil Defence, Syed Morshed Hossain, reported that Rozina was preparing dinner in a structure adjacent to the hillside when the earth gave way, completely burying her. Although two fire service units managed to extricate her after a two-hour rescue operation, she could not be revived. Her husband, Abdul Majid, later recounted that he had repeatedly warned his wife against entering the kitchen due to the high risk of landslides caused by the prolonged rains.

The vulnerability of the terrain remains a critical concern for local authorities. Tahmina Akhter, the UNO for Cox’s Bazar Sadar, explained that weeks of heavy rain have left the hillsides dangerously unstable. Despite continuous official warnings, many residents show a reluctance to abandon their homes or quickly return to their hazardous dwellings at the foothills once the rain pauses, leading to avoidable tragedies. The administration previously recorded another landslide fatality on 7 July, when a young woman, Lima Akhter, was killed in the Hazi Ghona area of Jhilongja, while her husband sustained injuries. Landslides also struck the Himchhari area along the Marine Drive, severely disrupting vehicular movement.

The Bangladesh Meteorological Department has warned that the active monsoon over the Bay of Bengal is likely to sustain moderate to heavy rainfall across the southeastern region for several more days. Authorities maintain a high state of alert due to the ongoing risks of further landslides, flash floods, and prolonged waterlogging. Deputy Commissioner M A Mannan assured the public that the administration is monitoring the situation round-the-clock. Joint teams comprising the sub-district administration, the Fire Service, the Bangladesh Army, and local volunteers are actively working to evacuate vulnerable hillslope communities to emergency shelters. Of the 28 fatalities recorded across the district over the past week, officials confirmed that 17 were Rohingya refugees residing in the hill-adjacent camp settlements.