Army Evacuates Another 311 Tourists from Sajek

Another 311 tourists stranded in Sajek Valley of Rangamati's Baghaichhari upazila have been safely evacuated with assistance from the Bangladesh Army.

The group left Sajek for Khagrachhari under Army escort at around 9:00am on Friday (10 July), a source at the Baghaihat Zone confirmed.

A total of 561 tourists had been stranded in the scenic hill destination after days of incessant rain, landslides and damaged road links cut off access to the area. On Thursday, the Army successfully escorted the first batch of 150 tourists to safety.

Officials at the Baghaihat Zone said about 100 tourists are still in Sajek and will be evacuated in phases as weather and road conditions improve.

On Tuesday, the Rangamati district administration issued an emergency notice, signed by Deputy Commissioner Nazma Ashrafi, announcing the indefinite closure of all tourist spots in Sajek due to continuous rainfall, landslides and the increasing risk to road connectivity.

The notice said the measure was taken to protect both tourists and local residents amid fears of landslides, hill collapses and further disruption to transportation across the district.

Following the closure, authorities barred new visitors from entering Sajek. However, hundreds of tourists who had arrived before the restrictions took effect remained stranded in the valley.

The Bangladesh Army has since been conducting phased evacuation operations to safely bring the remaining visitors out of the area.