Two die in Sherpur flash flood

Flash floods triggered by onrush of water from upstream hills left two people dead in Sherpur's Jhenaigati and Nalitabari upazilas.

The deceased are Ismail Hossain, 17, son of street vendor Abdullah Mia of Tamagaon village in Jhenaigati, and Humayun Kabir, 10, son of Dulal Mia of Burunga village in Nalitabari and a second grader at Burunga Government Primary School.

Jhenaigati Police Station OC Al Amin said Ismail went missing around 4:00pm Thursday while trying to collect logs washed away by floodwaters in the Maharshi river near Tamagaon. Locals recovered his body around 1:00am after an 9-hour search.

Photo: Sahidul Islam Nirab

Earlier around noon the same day, Humayun went missing in a similar incident while collecting logs in the Chellakhali river at Burunga. His body was recovered six hours later, around 8:30pm, said Nalitabari Police Station OC Sohel Rana.

Meanwhile, the flash flood damaged croplands and homesteads in both upazilas. According to the upazila administration, Water Development Board (WDB) and agriculture office sources, several points of the flood control embankment along the Maharshi river in Jhenaigati suffered breaches.

People wading through floodwaters in Jhenaigati of Sherpur yesterday. Flash floods from upstream hills left two people dead and damaged croplands and homes in the district’s Jhenaigati and Nalitabari upazilas. Photo: Sahidul Islam Nirab

Around 100 metres of the embankment at Khoilkura and 50 metres at Dighirpar collapsed, flooding croplands and localities. A total of 1,565 hectares of farmland were submerged, of which 650 hectares of transplanted aman were completely damaged and 915 hectares partially affected.

Hafiz Mia, 38, a farmer from Gollar Char in Nalitabari, said, "The embankment breach has caused river water to inundate my land and house. My entire harvest is gone. I don't know how we will survive. We need government support."

Karim Sheikh, 55, of Tamagaon in Jhenaigati, echoed him.

Photo: Sahidul Islam Nirab

Jhenaigati Upazila Agriculture Officer Md Forhad Hossain said, "Floodwaters from the Someshwari and Maharshi rivers have submerged croplands. Around 650 hectares of transplanted aman are fully damaged, 915 hectares partially damaged, and 86 hectares of vegetable fields remain under water. The damage may lessen if water recedes quickly."

Jhenaigati UNO Ashraful Alam said, "We have visited the affected areas and moved disaster-hit families to shelters. Assistance will be provided after assessing the losses. WDB has also been instructed to repair the embankments without delay."