Bangladesh landslides toll reaches 151

Dhaka, June 15 (IANS) The death toll in the devastating floods in Bangladesh triggered following torrential rains has reached 151 as rescue teams continue to look for 10 people who remain missing, a disaster management official said on Thursday.

So far, 107 deaths have been reported from the Rangamati district, 35 in Chittagong, six in Bandarban, two in Cox's Bazar and one in Khagrachhari, Bangladesh's Disaster Management Director Reaz Ahmed told Efe news.

Didarul Alam, fire services chief for Rangamati district, said that in the last few hours, rescue workers have recovered the body of a woman, who had drowned, and also pulled out another two bodies from under the mud from different parts of the region.

Before the latest update, the death toll in the district, the worst affected, had stood at 104, Ahmed said.

Heavy downpour began lashing the country since last week and intensified between Tuesday and Wednesday, with Rangamati recording 343 mm (13.5 inches) of rain in 24 hours due to a persistent depression in the Bay of Bengal.

At this time of the year, southern Bangladesh is normally hit by tropical cyclones, some of which in previous years have caused widespread damage and claimed many lives.