Four Family Members Killed in Sylhet Hillock Collapse

Four members of a family were killed after being buried under debris when a portion of a hillock collapsed onto their house in the Bakhtiarghat area of Lakkhanaband Union under Golapganj upazila in Sylhet early Sunday. Fire service personnel and local residents recovered the bodies of three victims at dawn. The fourth body was recovered around 8:30am.

The deceased were identified as Riaz Uddin (50), his second wife Rahima Begum (40), daughter Samia Khatun (15), and son Abbas Uddin (13), all residents of Bakhtiarghat. Speaking to Jago News, Golapganj Upazila’s acting executive officer and assistant commissioner (Land), Faysal Mahmud Riad, confirmed that the rescue operation concluded at 8:30am.

He said a joint rescue team comprising members of the upazila administration, army, fire service, and police recovered the four bodies from beneath the soil. Three other individuals were rescued alive earlier. No one else is believed to be trapped. Funeral prayers for the deceased will be held after Asr prayer. Kholkur Rahman, chairman of Lakkhanaband Union Parishad, said Riaz Uddin had been living in the same house with his two wives and their children. Around 2:00am, a portion of the hill collapsed onto their home. Hearing screams, locals rushed to the spot and managed to rescue Riaz’s first wife and her children. However, Riaz, his second wife, a son, and a daughter were buried under the debris.

He added that the fire service was informed around 3:00am after locals were unable to rescue the trapped victims. The bodies of Riaz’s second wife and two children were recovered at dawn, followed by Riaz Uddin’s body later in the morning. Notably, Sylhet has been experiencing heavy rainfall over the past few days. According to the Meteorological Department, 408.8 millimeters of rain was recorded in the past 24 hours.