4 of the same family killed in landslide in Sylhet, anger over slow rescue work

Four members of the same family were buried in a landslide due to heavy rains in Golapganj Upazila of Sylhet. The tragic accident occurred at around 2:15 am on Sunday (June 1) in Bakhtiar Ghat village of Laxnaband Union No. 7 of the upazila.

According to eyewitnesses and local sources, the deceased are Md. Iaz Uddin of Bakhtiar Ghat village, his wife, son and daughter. Due to the continuous rain, the nearby hill collapsed on their half-paca house. The entire family was buried under the ground while they were sleeping.

Immediately after the accident, the locals started rescue efforts but were unsuccessful. Later, when the fire service was informed, two units of the Sylhet Fire Service reached the spot at around 4 am about two hours later. They were led by Station Officer Titok Sikder. The fire service was able to recover the bodies of three people, but one is still missing.

Laxnaband Union Parishad Chairman Md. Khalku said, “We quickly informed the administration about the incident, but the fire service took a long time to reach the spot. The night was very sad and heartbreaking for our union.”

Golapganj Police Station OC Moniruzzaman Mollah said, “The area was waterlogged due to continuous heavy rain since 1 am. As trees fell in many places and blocked the road, the fire service unit was forced to take alternative routes.”

Fire Service Station Officer Titok Sikder said, “We left quickly after receiving the news. But it took time to move forward as the road was blocked due to big trees falling.”

Meanwhile, locals alleged that no one reached even after two hours of reporting the incident. Trying to do it on their own, they faced the risk of landslides again. The continuous rain is causing many problems in the rescue operations.

On the same night, reports of landslides were also received in Chowdhury Bazar and Beanibazar areas of the upazila. However, no one was injured.

The local administration said that instructions have been given to evacuate people living in hilly and hilly areas to safer places.