Houses built on hillslopes at Dighinala in Khagrachari bear serious threat of deadly landslide. The photo was taken on Wednesday. — New Age photo

Rescuers could not yet reach Ultachhari, a village in the remote hills of Dighinala, Rangamati, after a landslide killed a man there and injured seven others Tuesday evening.

The deceased has been identified as Jugendra Chakma, 40.

Babuchhara union parishad chairman Santosh Jibon Chakma said that they did not have details about the landslide for it was difficult to reach the remote area, New Age correspondent in Khagrachhari reported.

He however confirmed that Jugendra was inside his house when it collapsed burying him alive in the landslide.

On Wednesday, an abandoned shop was buried under heaps of earth in a landslide at Belchhari in Matiranga.

Landslides occurred in many other places in Chattogram division on Tuesday.

On Monday, a woman and a child were killed in a landslide at Kaptai in Rangamati.

Communication between Khagrachhari and Rangamati’s Langdu remained snapped since Monday after parts of the road connecting the hill districts had been blocked with debris from landslides.

At least 30 families in Khagrachhari district town were evacuated to a government shelter for fear of landslide.

Four days of rains already submerged Muslimpara, Pebachhara, Ganjapara and Golabari areas in the district town. About 500 families were stranded in the areas.

The district administration opened 45 shelters in nine upazilas in the district.

Khagrachhari deputy commissioner Shahidul Islam said that over five hundred people sought shelter at their shelter centres.

More than 800 people are living under landslide threat in the district, he added.

Khagrachhari received 172 mms of rains in last four days.

A landslide alert for the hilly regions in Chattogram division has been in effect since Sunday as weathermen predicted continuous heavy rains throughout the week.

On Wednesday, Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre said that major rivers in the country might continue to swell over the next 72 hours because of heavy to very heavy rains inside Bangladesh and in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, Bihar and Nepal.

Major rivers in Barishal, Chattogram and Sylhet were predicted to rise rapidly over the next 24 hours, the FFWC said in its bulletin released in the afternoon.

At least four rivers — Jadukata, Surma, Khwai and Matamuhuri — were flowing above their danger levels until Wednesday afternoon.

The FFWC recorded country’s highest rainfall of 280 mms in 24 hours ending at 9:00am at Lourergorh in Sylhet.

Six other FFWC rainfall monitoring stations in the districts of Lalmonirhat, Sylhet, Bandarban, Sunamganj, and Khagrachhari recorded rainfalls of 140 mms or more during the same period.

The FFWC also said that it rained 259 mms and 192 mms respectively in 24 hours ending at 9:00am at Cherapunji and Shillong in India.

On Monday, the FFWC in a special forecast said that many areas in Bangladesh might get flooded by Saturday.

It might take a week or more for the floodwater to recede, said the FFWC.

Met Office has withdrawn signal number three issued for the maritime ports as situation over the North Bay improved.

Met Office predicted heavy rains in Rangpur, Mymensingh, Sylhet, Chattogram and Barishal over the next 24 hours from 10:00am Wednesday.