The depression-induced inclement weather continued to wreak havoc along the coast, especially in Cox鈥檚 Bazar, causing six more deaths, inundation of at least 200 villages, while leaving scores of fishermen missing.
At least eight fishing trawlers were reported missing with 70 fishermen on board as extremely heavy rain continued for almost two days without a break in Cox鈥檚 Bazar before letting up a little bit on Saturday afternoon.
The bodies of six fishermen were washed ashore on Saturday with four of them identified as Md Jamal, 37, Nurul Amin, 40, Abdul Karim, 35, and Abdun Nur, 38. The identities of the rest two could not be confirmed.
With the latest deaths, the death toll related to the inclement weather climbed to 12. The toll is feared to increase.
Cox鈥檚 Bazar saw the second highest rainfall of 436mm in a day in the past 43 years since 1981 between September 12 and September 13. In the 54 hours ending at 6:00pm on Saturday, the district received 671mm of rainfall, including 110mm of rain recorded in the past 24 hours.
The district saw double the normal monthly聽 rainfall for September, which is 340.9mm, in little over the past two days.聽
Residents in Cox鈥檚 Bazar have been overwhelmed with so much water with the district鈥檚 nearly entire landscape of towns and villages inundated.
The situation in Cox鈥檚 Bazar town slightly improved on Saturday.
The six deaths on Friday were caused by landslides.
About 10,000 people continued to remain stranded on Saturday in the district town鈥檚 low-lying areas, including Samitipara, Qutubdiapara, Fadnardale, and Nuniachhara, said Akhtar Kamal, councillor of ward No-1 of the municipality.
Around 50,000 people remained marooned in 40 villages in Ukhiya upazila, said Imrul Kayes Chowdhury, chairman, Haldiapalang union parishad.
Ukhia upazila nirbahi officer Tanvir Hossain said on Saturday that they requested the district administration to send help for the affected people.
抖阴精品 correspondent in Noakhali reported that 10 fishing trawlers capsized in Hatia in the Meghna River. Of the fishermen, 18 were rescued but eight remained missing until Saturday afternoon.
Despite a warning of signal no-3 issued for all four maritime ports, fishermen ventured into the bay in their rather tiny fishing trawlers that eventually were forced to come back to the shore by the rough weather.
The trawlers capsized during their attempts to return to the shore.
Hatia police officer-in-charge Md Moniruzzaman feared an increase in the number of deaths.
News agency United News of Bangladesh reported that incessant rain and thunderstorms over the past two days paralysed normal life in Chandpur town.
The roads of the district town, particularly Cumilla Road, Truck Road, and Purana Bazar-Dokan Ghar Road, became waterlogged due to the persistent rain.
The depression moved towards inland in India on Saturday.
鈥楥oastal areas might see a significant drop in rainfall tomorrow,鈥� said meteorologist Omar Faruque on Saturday.
鈥楶arts of central Bangladesh, including Dhaka, and western region as well might continue to witness rain through tomorrow,鈥� he added.
A heavy to very heavy rainfall is in effect until 10:00am today for Rangpur, Rajshahi, Dhaka, Khulna, Barishal and Chattogram divisions with forecast of the likelihood of landslides in the hilly regions of Chattogram.
In the 24 hours until 6:00pm on Saturday, Bangladesh鈥檚 highest maximum rainfall of 208mm was recorded in Kutubdia in Cox鈥檚 Bazar. Dhaka saw 24mm of rainfall over the same time. Three of the four weather stations in Barishal division recorded over 100mm of rain.
The rain brought a brief relief for the residents in the capital Dhaka where day temperature substantially fell like elsewhere in the country. The rain also briefly reduced air pollution in the capital.
Light rain continued in Dhaka throughout Saturday with gusts of wind blowing over. Traffic was thin in the roads as the city inhabitants remained mostly in their homes on the weekend.
The drop in the temperature lowered power demand bringing a momentary relief to the newly formed interim government.
The Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre in a bulletin on Saturday afternoon said that the Halda and the Sangu rivers were swelling. The centre said that the rivers in Chattogram might rise over the next 24 hours causing inundation in low-lying areas of Chattogram, Cox鈥檚 Bazar, Bandarban, Khagrachari, Feni, Comilla, Noakhali, and Lakhsmipur districts.
The water levels in the rivers in Dhaka, Barishal and Khulna divisions may also go up, but there was no chance of it triggering flooding.
The BMD in a bulletin at 6:00pm said that the depression over south-eastern Bangladesh and adjacent area intensified into a land deep depression and took a west-north-westward direction.
