25,000 Tourists Stranded in Cox’s Bazar Due to Flooding

Heavy rainfall has flooded Cox’s Bazar, particularly affecting the Kolatoli hotel-motel zone, leaving at least 25,000 tourists stranded in their hotel rooms as of Friday afternoon. Red flags are raised along the beach, warning tourists to stay away from the sea. Unplanned road development, poor drainage maintenance, and deforestation are the main causes of the severe flooding.

Local hotel owners and businesspeople said the rain began at 9 am on Thursday, with heavy downpours from 12:30 pm lasting for 12 hours. This brought life to a standstill for 800,000 residents. Heavy rain resumed on Friday at 10 am, along with strong winds. On the afternoon the city’s main roads, Kolatoli Beach Road, and 35 regional roads were submerged. Vehicle movement was completely halted, according to a report by Prothom Alo.

The Bangladesh Meteorological Department recorded 453 millimeters of rain in 24 hours, the highest of the season, said Assistant Meteorologist Md Abdul Hannan. Due to a low-pressure area in the Bay of Bengal, Local Cautionary Signal No. 3 has been issued for the ports of Chittagong, Cox’s Bazar, Mongla, and Payra. Fishing boats and trawlers have been advised to stay near the coast until further notice.

Additionally, landslides triggered by heavy rain claimed six lives in the region. Abul Kashem Sikder also noted that this is the worst flooding the city has seen in 50 years.