The death toll in floods and landslides triggered by heavy rain in south-eastern Bangladesh has risen to 110 as the government called in the army for rescue and relief operations, officials said Thursday, according to dpa. The rescuers have retrieved 110 bodies from remote parts of the affected area, said S M Golam Kibria, an official at the Food and Disaster Management Ministry. The deaths were caused by mudslides, flashfloods, electrocution and lightning in last five days, he said. The government sent out contingents of soldiers for rescue operations in the most affected districts of Chittagong, Bandarban and Cox's Bazar where many people are still marooned by floods. The army also began distribution of relief materials, he added. The government opened the National Disaster Response Coordination Centre to monitor the overall flood situation as more areas in the north-east have been inundated due to downpours upstream in the Indian state of Meghalaya. The Meteorological department in Dhaka forecast that the rainfall would decrease as the storm in the Bay of Bengal is over. Authorities announced the resumption of flights at Shah Amanat International Airport in the port city of Chittagong Thursday, two days after they closed it when the runway flooded.
