Bangladesh landslides toll rises to 108

Bangladeshi rescuers search for survivors and bodies following landslides on the outskirts of Chittagong, Bangladesh, Wednesday, June 27, 2012. The death toll from the slides caused by heavy monsoon rains rose above 100 on Thursday. AP/ANRUP TITU

CHITTAGONG, Bangladesh—The death toll from a series of deadly flash floods and landslides in southeast Bangladesh rose above 100 Thursday as rescuers called off their search operation.

The region’s chief administrator, Sirajul Haq Khan, said 108 bodies had been pulled from the mud and debris of destroyed homes in the districts of Chittagong, Cox’s Bazar and Bandarban.

The landslides were triggered by three days of intense monsoon rains that sent powerful rivers of mud plunging downhill slopes, enveloping shanty towns below and displacing more than 60,000 people.

“We have called off the rescue operations as there’s nobody else reported missing,” Khan told AFP, adding that flood waters swollen by the rains had finally receded.

Authorities said flights in and out of Chittagong’s Shah Amanat International Airport had been resumed, but added that the restoration of severed train links with the rest of the country could take weeks.

Rain-triggered landslides are common in Chittagong and the government has sought to tighten rules restricting development in danger areas.