Millions stranded by monsoon in Bangladesh
At least 25 people were killed by lightning or landslides over the weekend in Bangladesh while millions were left marooned or homeless in low-lying northeastern parts hit by the worst monsoon floods in the country's recent history, officials said.
Residents in the Sylhet region of Bangladesh are struggling to cope after they were hit with the worst monsoon floods in the country’s recent history on Sunday.
Monsoon rains swamped huge areas of the country, leaving millions of homes underwater.
Many of Bangladesh's rivers have risen to dangerous levels and the runoff from heavy rain from across Indian mountains exacerbated the situation, said Arifuzzaman Bhuiyan, the head of the state-run Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre.
Highways became rivers, with people using boats to get around on what would normally be tarmacked roads. Lorries and cars struggled on the roads, while journeys by rickshaw or motorbike journeys proved to be challenging for all but the bravest.
Thousands of policemen and army personnel have been deployed to parts of the country to help search and rescue efforts.
About 105,000 people have been evacuated so far but police officials estimated that over four million were still stranded.
Syed Rafiqul Haque, a former lawmaker and ruling party politician in Sunamganj district, said the country was facing a humanitarian crisis if proper rescue operations were not conducted.
Regional officials said about 3.1 million people were displaced, 200,000 of whom are staying in government-run makeshift shelters on raised embankments or on other highlands.
Officials said the Monsoon storms in India and Bangladesh have killed at least 59 people and unleashed devastating floods that left millions of others stranded.
Bangladesh and India have experienced increasing extreme weather in recent years, causing large-scale damage.
Environmentalists warn climate change could lead to more disasters, especially in low-lying and densely populated Bangladesh.
