At least nine people including seven members of two families were killed in landslides triggered by heavy rainfall in separate places in Cox's Bazar early Monday.
Of the deceased, eight died at Rohingya camps in Ukhiya upazila while another died in Cox's Bazar municipality, said Officer-in-Charge of Cox's Bazar Sadar Model Police Station Sheikh Mohammad Ali.
At around 1am, a hill collapsed onto a house in Rohingya Camp-15 in Ukhiya, leaving three members of a family dead.
The victims were identified as Mohammad Kamal Hossain, 44, his wife Humaira Begum, 39, and their four-year-old son Mohammad Anas.
At the same time, seven-year-old Ekram was killed after being buried under earth from a hill slope in Kutupalong's Camp-7.
At about 3am, another landslide in Rohingya Camp-11 claimed the lives of four members of a family.
The deceased were Umme Habiba, 27, her sister Tanzina Akhtar, 13, and two young brothers—Rihan, 5, and Harunur Rashid, 3.
Another person sustained injuries in the incident.
In a separate incident around 4:30am, a large chunk of mud from a hill collapsed onto the house of Ali Akbar, 50, in the Sattar Ghona area of Cox's Bazar town.
Ali Akbar and two other family members were trapped under the debris.
Locals rescued them and took them to Cox's Bazar Sadar Hospital, where doctors declared Ali Akbar dead.
According to the Ukhiya Fire Service, continuous rainfall since Sunday morning triggered the landslides.
Fire Service personnel carried out overnight rescue operations and recovered the bodies.
Assistant Meteorologist at the Cox's Bazar Meteorological Office Md Abdul Hannan said the heavy rainfall was caused by a low-pressure system and active monsoon conditions over the Bay of Bengal.
More than 250 millimetres of rain was recorded in the district in the 24 hours till Monday morning, and the rain is likely to continue for another two days, he said.
Ukhiya Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Panna Akhter and Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner Md Mizanur Rahman said authorities are urging people living in landslide-prone areas to move to safer locations to minimise the risk of further casualties.
