BANGLADESH FLOODS KILL 44 AND STRAND MORE THAN ONE MILLION

Severe flooding and landslides triggered by days of monsoon rain have killed at least 44 people in southeastern Bangladesh and left more than one million people stranded, according to figures reported by Reuters and attributed to Bangladesh's disaster management ministry.

Reuters reported that flooding has affected seven districts: Chattogram, Cox's Bazar, Bandarban, Rangamati, Khagrachhari, Moulvibazar and Habiganj. The disaster management ministry said 267,918 households had been stranded across those districts, with floodwater cutting off communities, disrupting daily life and complicating aid delivery.

The floods have hit an area already vulnerable to monsoon-season emergencies. Southeastern Bangladesh includes low-lying communities, hilly districts, coastal settlements and the Cox's Bazar area, where more than one million Rohingya refugees live in crowded camps exposed to landslides and flash flooding.

The immediate emergency is both a flooding crisis and an access crisis. Reuters reported that residents in some flood-hit areas have been unable to cook for days because water entered homes or mud covered kitchens and living spaces. Power outages have also left families spending nights in the dark while waiting for relief supplies.

The Bangladesh army and navy have been delivering food, drinking water and medical supplies by boat to communities that cannot be reached normally, Reuters reported. Washed-out roads, damaged bridges and submerged areas have slowed relief operations, leaving some communities dependent on emergency dry food and boat access.

The official death toll includes people killed by flooding and by landslides after days of intense rain. Reuters reported that landslides in Rohingya refugee camps in Cox's Bazar have killed 16 refugees, adding to earlier casualty counts from the camps.

The Associated Press reported earlier in the week that landslides in the Cox's Bazar camps killed at least 13 Rohingya refugees, including five children, and that authorities had relocated more than 1,000 people from high-risk areas. The updated Reuters figure reported Saturday placed the camp landslide death toll at 16.

The Rohingya camps are especially exposed during the monsoon. Families live in dense settlements of bamboo-and-plastic shelters, many of them on steep or deforested hillsides. During heavy rain, slopes can fail quickly, burying shelters, schools or paths under mud and debris.

Reuters reported on July 6 that earlier landslides in the camps killed at least eight Rohingya refugees and a Bangladeshi man in a nearby village. That report said the landslides hit multiple locations while residents were asleep, destroying shelters and prompting further relocation efforts.

The Associated Press later reported that another landslide struck an Islamic school in a refugee camp, killing at least five children and injuring others. Authorities used loudspeakers and community leaders to urge people to leave high-risk areas, though some refugees were reluctant to move because of concerns about losing shelter space or belongings.

The broader flooding has now moved beyond the camps and into a multi-district emergency. The disaster management ministry's figures, as reported by Reuters, show that hundreds of thousands of households are stranded across seven districts, with water and mud affecting homes, roads, bridges and local services.

For affected families, the key needs are immediate: food, drinking water, electricity, sanitation, medical access and safe shelter. Flooded kitchens and power cuts can turn even short-term flooding into a larger public-health problem, particularly where families cannot boil water, store food safely or reach clinics.

The scale of the stranded population also raises pressure on local authorities and emergency responders. Boat delivery can keep relief moving where roads are underwater, but it is slower and more limited than normal transport. Damaged bridges and blocked roads can delay access to remote communities, especially in hilly areas where landslides remain a risk.

The monsoon is a normal seasonal pattern in Bangladesh, but heavy rainfall events can quickly become dangerous when they combine with crowded settlements, unstable hillsides, poor drainage and low-lying land. Floods and landslides are recurring hazards in the country, and government officials cited by Reuters said climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of such disasters.

That does not mean any single flood can be attributed only to climate change. It does mean the current emergency fits a pattern that disaster officials and humanitarian agencies have warned about for years: heavier rainfall, more exposed communities and repeated displacement during the monsoon season.

In Cox's Bazar, those risks are amplified by the refugee-camp environment. More than one million Rohingya live in the camps after fleeing violence and persecution in Myanmar, and many shelters are built on terrain that becomes unstable during sustained rain. Reuters reported that the camps remain highly vulnerable because of deforestation and steep terrain.

The flooding has also created a coordination challenge between national authorities, local officials, the military, humanitarian groups and camp administrators. Relief teams must respond to flooded Bangladeshi communities while also managing landslide threats and displacement inside refugee settlements.

The updated casualty count may still change. Flood deaths can rise after the initial emergency if missing people are found, if landslides continue, or if waterborne disease and medical access problems worsen in the days that follow. Reuters reported that authorities were intensifying relief operations as communities remained cut off.

The situation also places attention on early warning and evacuation. The Associated Press reported that authorities had already moved more than 1,000 Rohingya refugees from high-risk areas after landslides, but also noted that some people were hesitant to leave. That hesitation is common in disaster zones where families fear losing access to limited shelter, documents, food supplies or community support.

For now, the central figures are clear: at least 44 people have been killed, more than one million have been stranded, and nearly 268,000 households have been cut off across seven districts. The response is moving through boats, emergency food, water deliveries and medical support while authorities continue to assess damage and risk.

The next stage of the emergency will depend on rainfall, water levels, landslide risk and whether aid teams can reach communities that remain isolated. If rain continues, the danger will not be limited to standing floodwater. It will also include slope collapse, damaged roads, contaminated water, power disruption and shortages in communities that have already gone days without normal services.

Fact-check date: July 11, 2026

Article type: News

Sources: Reuters; Associated Press; Bangladesh disaster management ministry figures, as reported by Reuters.