Landslides kill at least 58 in Bangladesh

DHAKA - Landslides triggered by heavy rain in southeast Bangladesh buried dozens of houses and killed at least 58 people on Tuesday, officials said.

The mudslides struck early Tuesday in two areas in the southern coastal area of Cox's Bazar - 185 miles (296 kilometers) south of the capital, Dhaka - and many victims were buried alive as they slept, said Giasuddin Ahmed, chief government administrator in the area.

Officials said they recorded 25 cm of rainfall in 24 hours to 9 am on Tuesday. "The death toll may go up as rescuers are still searching for bodies and people are likely to be still alive under the flattened houses," one senior official told Reuters.