NATIONAL
Fire Service rescues 8-month-old baby trapped in floodwater using cooking pot in Chattogram
Fire Service in Chattogram's Banshkhali rescued 13 people, including an 8-month-old carried in a cooking pot, after heavy rains flooded the area.
FARABI SAIFULLAH
Collected
BIONIC READING
In a Nutshell:
- Days of heavy rain flooded parts of Banshkhali, leaving 13 people stranded in a shack near Chechuria Bridge. Fire Service personnel waded through deep water to bring them to safety in an operation that ran from around 8:30pm until after 10:30pm on Wednesday.
- Those rescued included an eight-month-old infant, a pregnant woman, an elderly woman, and several young children. An eight-member Fire Service and Civil Defence team carried out the rescue after a call to the national emergency line, 999.
- All 13 people were evacuated safely and moved to a local shelter. Firefighters rescued around 30 more people from other locations, and emergency teams were still responding to reports of stranded residents as of Thursday afternoon, with roughly 6,500 people reported marooned across Banshkhali.
Why it Matters
The rescue highlights both the growing threat of severe flooding in the region and the demands placed on emergency services during such events.
- It shows the immediate danger flooding poses to vulnerable people, including infants, pregnant women, and the elderly, and the risks rescuers take to reach them.
- With about 6,500 people reported marooned, the story points to the wider humanitarian impact of prolonged heavy rain on a single upazila, straining shelters, roads, and rescue resources.
- This kind of disaster keeps happening in the region. Back in 2024, flooding in Chittagong hit 96,000 people across Sitakunda, Mirsharai, and Fatikchhari, showing that the area's infrastructure still can't handle heavy flooding made worse by climate change.
What we think
For the third straight monsoon, Chattogram is underwater again. Thousands of people across Banshkhali have been marooned, with the most vulnerable, such as infants, pregnant women, and the elderly, facing the greatest risk.
- In 2024, devastating floods swept through the region, affecting millions and exposing the city's vulnerability to extreme weather.
- In 2025, heavy monsoon rains once again submerged key neighbourhoods, collapsed infrastructure and disrupted daily life.
- Now, in 2026, the same scenes have returned, despite years of promises and more than Tk 14,000 crore worth of flood mitigation projects.