The flood protection embankment along the River Gumti in Cumilla collapsed late Thursday, affecting hundreds of families, said authorities.
The fall of the embankment occurred around 11:45pm in Burichang upazila, specifically in Buraburia area of Sholnall union.
Water began to inundate local areas following the collapse, Cumilla Water Development Board鈥檚 Executive Engineer Khan Mohammad Waliuzzaman confirmed on Friday.
He informed that water had been seeping through the embankment since the past evening, and despite local efforts to manage the situation using sandbags, the embankment ultimately gave in around midnight with at least 300 feet of the structure collapsing.
Responding to the situation, upazila nirbahi officer Saida Akhter said that several unions, including Sholnall, Pirjatrapur, Sadar and others under the upazila are getting affected by flooding.
She informed that they alerted locals to take refuge considering the situation.
Officials from the Water Development Board informed that the Gumti River reached the danger level by 113 centimetres on Thursday afternoon, breaking a 27-year record.
In 1997, the river had exceeded the danger level by 96 centimetres. The recent surge in water levels has broken all previous records, indicating an unprecedented flood risk in the region.
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