A suspected yaba trader was killed in a reported gunfight with members of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) early Sunday in Keyali Canal area nearing No-14 Bridge in Teknaf of Cox’s Bazar.

The deceased was identified as Md Syed Alam, 35, son of Md Syed Ahmed of Teknaf Municipality.

Lt Col Mohammad Foysal Hasan Khan, commander, Teknaf BGB-2, said tipped off that a big consignment of drugs would enter Bangladesh from Myanmar, a patrol team of BGB took position in the area at around 2 am.

BGB members noticed a man entered Bangladesh from Mynmar by swimming in the Naf River and met two people waiting there.

As soon as the BGB men chased them all, the drug traders opened fire on the BGB men, forcing them to fire back in self-defence that triggered the gunfight, he added.

Later, BGB members found bullet injured Syed Alam and took him to Teknaf Upazila Health Complex . He was later shifted to Cox’s Bazar Sadar Hospital where doctors declared him dead.

A LG gun including a round of cartridge and 40,000 Yaba pills were recovered from the spot.

After a recession for a few days, all the rivers in Kurigram district started flowing beyond the danger signal on Sunday morning.

According to Kurigram Water Development Board (WDB), Brahmaputra flowed 5cm and 10cm above the danger mark at Nunkhawa and Chilmari points respectively, while Dharla flowed 42cm beyond the red level at Bridge Point in the morning.

Meanwhile, riverbank erosion has taken a serious turn at 19 points of the district, said WDB executive engineer Md Ariful Islam. “We’re trying to stop the erosion by throwing geobags right now,” he said.

Deputy Commissioner of the district Rezaul Karim said they have prepared schools as shelter centres in the district for flood-hit people.

Read Also: Flood situation worsens again in Kurigram, Nilphamari districts

All the Upazila Nirbahi Officers (UNOs), local union parishad chairmen and members were directed to evacuate people and bring them to shelter centres, he added.

He also said enough relief goods are there in stock for the flood victims.

On Thursday, State Minister for Disaster Management and Relief Dr Md Enamur Rahman said 23 districts have so far been hit by floods.

The government has allocated 8,210 metric tonnes of rice, Tk 2.22 crore cash, 40,000 dry food and other food packets, Tk 40 lakh each for cattle feed and baby food for the 20 flood-hit districts, he said.

Read Also: Flood hits 23 dists, may inundate more: Enamur

A tribal woman died and her four-year-old child was injured after Jana Samhati Samity (JSS) members opened fire reportedly on an Army patrol at Angaipara in Bandarban's Rowangchhari upazila on Friday. 

A local source of Bangladesh Army said that the incident took place around 6pm when an army patrol went to Angaipara after being tipped-off about the presence of some JSS extortionists there. 

As soon as the Army patrol reached the area, the JSS members opened fire and fled the scene, he said.

Later, he said, the soldiers chased them and conducted a search operation in the hilly area. At one stage, they found the woman and her child injured. 

The woman succumbed to her injuries while being taken to Bandarban Sadar Hospital. The child is now undergoing treatment there. 

A Bangladeshi man was shot dead allegedly by Indian Khashias and another sustained bullet injuries along Utma border in Companyganj upazila of Sylhet district on Saturday.

The deceased was identified as Babul Hossain, 20, son of Amir Hossain of Lama village in the Upazila. The injured was identified as Koyes Mia, 20.

Contacted, Lt Col Ahmed Eusuf Jamil, commanding officer of 48 Battalion of Border Guard Bangladesh, said Indian Khashias opened fire on them when they entered the Indian territory around 4 pm, leaving Babul dead and Koyes injured.

Earlier, another Bangladeshi citizen -, Babul Biswas, 30- was shot dead by the Khashias at the same spot on June 20.

The overall flood situation in Lalmonirhat, Sunamganj, Kurigram and Nilphamari has worsened due to an increase of the water level after rainfall, leaving hundreds of thousands of people marooned.

In Lalmonirhat, the flood situation in the 12 upazilas of the district deteriorated on Saturday due to the rise of Teesta's water level, rendering 50,000 people stranded.

Teesta was flowing 20cm above the danger level at Doani Point in Hatibandha upazila of the district in the morning, causing immense suffering to the people.

The river embankment at Taler Mor under Gaddimari union of Hatibandha upazila has collapsed in the flood water, forcing many people to take shelter on the road.

Dr Atier Rahman, Chairman of Gaddimari Union said sand sacks were placed at the damaged point of the embankment but the local authorities concerned of the Water Development Board did not take any steps to protect the dam.

Hafizul Haque, deputy divisional engineer of Water Development Board's Dalia branch, said, "This year the flood situation may prolong for many days. That’s why the water level of Teesta will flow above its danger mark.”

Besides, no relief materials or government assistance have come yet, intensifying the woes of the flood-hit people.

Deputy Commissioner Abu Zafar said they are receiving information of the overall flood situation through the UNO and public representatives and preparation is going on to provide relief materials among the flood victims.

In Sunamganj, hudreds of thousands of people were marooned as torrential rainfall and onrush of upstream water pushed up the water level. 

Many parts of the Sunamganj district town and Doarabazar, Tahirpur, Bishwambharpur, Dakkhin Sunamganj, Dirai, Shalla of Chhatak and many low lying areas have been newly flooded.

According to the Water Development Board, Surma was flowing 54cm above the danger level at Shologhar point in the last 24 hours till Saturday morning while 133mm rainfall has been recorded.

Besides, Surma water has been flowing 166cm above its red mark in Chhatak in the last 24 hours. Many roads and houses in Chattak municipality and Kazir point, Ukilpara, Natunpara, Boropara, Shahebbari ghat, Shologhor Hazipara, Jamtala in the district town of Sunamganj went under water.

Road communication in many parts of the district including the district town were snapped as all the roads were inundated by the rising flood watere.

Besides, the standing crops and vegetables fields were damaged while fishes of many ponds were washed away.

The government has allocated 400MT rice, Tk 8 lakh cash, Tk 3 lakh cash for baby food, Tk 2 lakh for fodder and 2,000 packets of dry foods for the flood-affected people.

Mohammad Abdul Ahad, the deputy commissioner, said shelter centres have been opened while volunteers from district and local administration have been kept ready.

In Nilphamari, the situation has worsened as the water level of the Teesta river is rising and inundating more areas.

Teesta is flowing 24cm above the danger level at Dalia point  at 6am on Saturday, leaving around 5,000 people marooned in the low-lying areas.

The flood forecasting center of the Dalia Water Development Board in Nilphamari said the water level in the Teesta has been rising since Friday night.

The 44 water gates of Teesta Barrage have been kept open to control the flow of water.

About 5,000 people in five unions living near the Teesta River banks in Dimla Upazila have been marooned, said the chairmen of those unions.

Meanwhile, people and cattle have been evacuated from Chhatnai, Jharsingeshwar, Charkharibari, East Kharibari, West Kharibari, Teesta Bazar, Baishpukur, Chatunama and Vendabari areas.

Rabiul Islam, executive engineer of WDB of Dalia, said the flood situation has taken a serious turn following onrush of water from the upstreams.

In Kurigram, flood situation and erosion have taken serious turns.

The flood control dam in Ververi area of Holokhana union in the district headquarters is under threat.

According to WDB, in the last 24 hours, the water level in the Teesta has risen by 28cm and is flowing  2cm below the danger level.

Besides, the water levels in Dharla has increased by 15cm, at Nunkhawa point of the Brahmaputra river by 19cm and at Chilmari point by 14cm.

Also read: Flood situation worsens again in Kurigram, Nilphamari districts