Chunks of wet earth fell some 60 meters (200 feet) down a hill, burying two forest guard staff quarters. Two housewives and four young sisters were killed, rescue officials said.

Five others were rescued with minor injuries following the sudden landslide in coastal Cox's Bazar, 290 kilometers (182 miles) from the capital Dhaka, which followed 106 millimeters (4.2 inches) of overnight rain.

Bangladesh's coast and offshore islands have been battered for the past week. Some 231 fishermen have been reported dead or missing since Sunday amid huge waves and heavy rain in the Bay of Bengal.

Calamity-prone Bangladesh, criss-crossed by 230 rivers, has been hard hit since heavy rains began in April, submerging stretches of the country and setting off flash floods.

Some 85 people died in storms around Bangladesh before the weekend downpour and another 62 people earlier died in a heatwave.

TERRA.WIRE