Heavy rainfall has flooded Cox's Bazar district town, with the Kolatoli hotel-motel zone particularly affected, resulting in significant difficulties for tourists.
As of Friday afternoon, at least 25,000 tourists got stranded in their hotel rooms due to the flooding.
They are unable to go anywhere. Red flags are being displayed at various points on the beach, warning tourists not to enter the sea.
The city has experienced such flooding in the past 50 years, according to Abul Kashem Sikder, President of the Cox's Bazar Hotel Guesthouse Owners Association.
He explained that unplanned road development, inadequate drainage maintenance, and deforestation have led to this severe flooding.
Hotel owners, local representatives, and businesspeople report that while the rain started at 9am on Thursday, heavy rainfall began at 12:30pm and continued for 12 hours until 12:30am last night, causing a halt to life for the 800,000 residents in the district town.
Heavy rain resumed at 10am on Friday, accompanied by strong winds.
By 3:30pm, further rainfall had submerged the city’s main roads, Kolatoli Beach Road, and at least 35 regional roads. Vehicle movement remains suspended on the roads, reports Prothom Alo.
The Bangladesh Meteorological Department recorded 453 millimetres of rainfall in the district in the 24 hours to Friday noon, the highest for the current season, according to Assistant Meteorologist Md Abdul Hannan from the BMD’s Cox's Bazar office.
“This is the highest single-day rainfall this season. Due to a low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal, Local Cautionary Signal No 3 has been advised for the ports of Chittagong, Cox's Bazar, Mongla and Payra. Fishing boats and trawlers in the Bay of Bengal have been advised to remain close to the coast and proceed with caution until further notice,” the official said.
Additionally, heavy rainfall led to landslides in Cox's Bazar early in the day, resulting in the death of six people.