South Asia News
Death toll from landslides and floods rises to 98 in Bangladesh
Jun 12, 2007, 11:23 GMT
Chittagong, Bangladesh - Torrential rains in Bangladesh since the weekend have triggered landslides and flooding that have left at least 98 people dead and up to 23 missing, officials in the country's main port city said Tuesday.
The death toll from the tropical storms that began pounding the Chittagong seaport and lush rice terraces in the five north-eastern districts from late Sunday rose to 98 as civil defence rescuers dug out 31 more bodies since Monday from the rubble of two major landslides.
The military backed interim government in the country gripped by political chaos recently declared the port city a disaster zone deploying thousands of soldiers, paramilitary police and civilian volunteers for rescue and search missions in hazardous conditions.
Port operations have remained suspended for the last 48 hours because of heavy showers and gale winds battering the Bay of Bengal coastline.
Chittagong is located 275 kilometres south of the capital Dhaka.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-AgenturCOMMENT
blog comments powered by DisqusLatest Headlines in South Asia
- 1. Sri Lanka leftist party says leader, activist are abducted
- 2. US agrees to let Afghan forces take lead in night raids
- 3. India, Pakistan leaders want better ties
- 4. Pilot killed in crash of Bangladesh Air Force jet
- 5. Pakistani president visits India for lunch meeting, prayers
Older Talkback
