Dozens dead after deluge hits Bangladesh

Heavy rain triggered landslides that killed at least 68 people in southeast Bangladesh, officials said yesterday, as police and soldiers struggled to reach the remote districts with aid.

Reports said scores of people were injured and the death toll could rise after large chunks of mud swept over thatched homes and settlements in three hilly districts on Monday.

A military spokesman said several soldiers were killed while clearing debris and mud from a highway. Five injured soldiers were flown to a military hospital in Dhaka.

Rains that began early on Monday had cleared by yesterday, allowing rescuers to work faster in searching for survivors. But the firefighters, police and soldiers deployed to help were struggling to reach some affected areas, said Reaz Ahmed, a senior disaster management official.

Bangladesh is in the middle of monsoon season but the downpour was caused by a depression in the Bay of Bengal.