Several houses were swallowed by sudden river erosion along the Kushiyara River at Fatehpur village in Golapganj upazila of Sylhet on Tuesday, triggering panic among local residents.
According to locals, the incident occurred around 2:30 pm when cracks suddenly appeared along the riverbank near Mirganj Bazar under Bhadeshwar union. Within minutes, five to seven houses collapsed into the river along with trees and household belongings.
The affected families managed to save their lives but were unable to salvage any possessions. “Everything went into the river within minutes,” said a local resident.
The houses belonging to Abul, Muslim, Abul Khayer, Harun, Abdul and Kaher were among those lost to the river, locals said. All of the affected families are day labourers, compounding their hardship as they now face uncertainty without shelter or basic necessities.
Golapganj Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Md Rafiqul Islam said the administration has received confirmation of five houses being destroyed, though reports circulating on social media suggest higher numbers. He said he was scheduled to visit the site to assess the actual extent of damage. “Necessary assistance measures are being prepared from the district and upazila administration,” he added.
Nihar Ranjan Das, Sub-Assistant Engineer of the Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) in Golapganj, said about 50-feet road in the same area had previously been eroded around a year ago. A proposal seeking budget allocation for protective works was submitted at the time, but was not approved, preventing any repair work.
BWDB Executive Engineer Dipak Ranjan Das said he has discussed the matter with local Member of Parliament Emran Ahmed Chowdhury. A technical team will soon visit the affected area to assess the situation and determine necessary interventions.
The latest erosion has heightened fears among residents living along the Kushiyara River, many of whom now worry that further sections of the riverbank could collapse without warning.
