At least 156 people* were killed in Bangladesh when a series landslides triggered by heavy rain buried hillside homes, officials said on Wednesday.
Densely populated Bangladesh is battered by storms, floods and landslides every rainy season.
The landslides hit three hilly districts in the southeast early on Tuesday, killing 98 people in Rangamati, 30 in Chittagong and six in Bandarban, said Reaz Ahmed, head of the department of disaster management.
The death toll could rise further as rescuers search for bodies and many people are still missing, he told Reuters.
"Rescue operations are being hampered by bad weather while authorities are still struggling to reach some remote areas," Ahmed said.
The dead include four soldiers who had joined the rescue operation in Rangamati when another landslide occurred, he said.
The latest fatalities came weeks after Cyclone Mora lashed Bangladesh's southeast, killing at least seven people and damaging tens of thousands of homes.
In 2007, about 130 people were killed in a landslide in Chittagong in the south-east.
* This story has been updated to reflect the updated death toll of 156 people as reported by Reuters. An earlier version of this story stated 134 people had been killed which was correct at the time.
Devastation Following Flooding And Mudslides in Bangladesh
Flood half-submerges town(01 of09)
Open Image ModalAn aerial view showing the town half-submerged in floodwaters following landslides triggered by heavy rain in Khagrachari, Bangladesh, in this still frame taken from video June 13, 2017. (credit:Reuters TV / Reuters)
Firefighters search for bodies(02 of09)
Open Image ModalBangladeshi firefighters search for bodies after a landslide in Rangamati on June 13, 2017. Heavy monsoon rains and landslides have killed at least 134 people in southeast Bangladesh, burying many in their homes as they slept, authorities said. (credit:STR/AFP/Getty Images)
Extensive flooding(03 of09)
Open Image ModalPeople walk in floodwaters on June 13, 2017, following landslides triggered by heavy rain in Khagrachari, Bangladesh. (credit:Reuters TV / Reuters)
147 people so far have died(04 of09)
Open Image ModalA woman cries following landslides triggered by heavy rain in Khagrachari, Bangladesh, in this still frame taken from video June 13, 2017. (credit:Reuters TV / Reuters)
Houses buried under mud(05 of09)
Open Image ModalThis general view shows dwellings under mud after a landslide in Rangamati on June 13, 2017. (credit:STR/AFP/Getty Images)
Efforts to retrieve bodies of mudslide victims underway(06 of09)
Open Image ModalRescue workers try to retrieve bodies of mudslide victims from a hill area in Chittagong June 13, 2007. Bangladesh rescuers were digging on Wednesday for more victims of a series of rain-trigged landslide. (credit:REUTERS/Saidul Islam )
Firefighters and volunteers search for bodies in Rangamati(07 of09)
Open Image ModalBangladeshi firefighters and volunteers are watched by bystanders as they search for bodies after a landslide in Rangamati on June 13, 2017. (credit:STR/AFP/Getty Images)
Heavy Monsoon Flooding on June 12(08 of09)
Open Image ModalHeavy monsoon downpour caused extreme water log in most areas of the city on June 12, 2017 in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Rains dumped by the land depression across Bangladesh have flooded streets and led to huge traffic congestion in cities. A dangerous cocktail of extreme weather, rising sea levels and storm surges is set to expose more than a billion people - about a seventh of the world's population, which is just over 7 billion - to coastal flooding by 2060, the report, 'Act Now Or Pay Later: Protecting a billion people in climate-threatened coastal cities', said. (credit:Zakir Chowdhury / Barcroft Images)
Severe damage caused by monsoon rains(09 of09)
Open Image ModalA heavy monsoon rain caused severe damage to the Dhaka-Narayanganj-Demra (DND) dam areas on June 13, 2017.Thousands of people living inside the Dhaka-Narayanganj-Demra (DND) dam areas do not see an easy way out of the water-logging that makes their life unbearable in monsoon. Many roads, fields and other open spaces in the area went under ankle to waist-deep water like the past because of the downpour, causing immense sufferings to the residents of the area. (credit:Mehedi Hasan/NurPhoto/Getty)