Heavy monsoon rains have unleashed catastrophic flooding and landslides across southeastern Bangladesh, resulting in the tragic deaths of at least 44 people and leaving more than a million residents stranded. Seven districts, including Chattogram and Cox’s Bazar, have been hit hardest, with over 260,000 households cut off from the outside world. Compounding the crisis, damaged infrastructure, severed communication lines, and widespread power outages have left survivors struggling to find clean water or prepare meals, forcing many to rely on basic dry rations while living in pitch-dark, mud-filled homes.

In response, the military has mobilized to distribute essential supplies via boat, navigating washed-out roads and collapsed bridges to reach isolated families. Disaster Management Minister Iqbal Hossain has urged citizens to relocate to government shelters as officials work to provide medical care and food. The situation is particularly dire in the Rohingya refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, where landslides have claimed 16 lives. Experts point to climate change as a driving force behind these increasingly frequent and severe weather events, further highlighting Bangladesh’s ongoing vulnerability to the impacts of extreme seasonal rainfall.