Floods in Bangladesh left over five million people trapped in low-lying regions as powerful currents wiped down river embankments.
According to government figures, the death toll increased to 15 as at least five rivers in the South Asian nation saw their worst flooding since 2018. Eleven districts were impacted.
The disastrous floods are the latest blow for the country of 170 million people, which has lately seen fatal political demonstrations and violence. An temporary administration led by Nobel Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus assumed power after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled the country earlier this month amid a student-led public upheaval.
“These are the worst floods we have seen in three decades,” Liakath Ali, director of climate change at non-governmental organization BRAC, said in a statement. “There are people stranded across the country, and we are expecting the situation to worsen in many places as rains continue.”
The government is rushing food and emergency medical supplies to the people marooned in the flooded areas. Authorities opened 3,176 shelters for flood victims and deployed 639 medical teams.
Breakdowns in telecommunications, interruptions to transport, and flooded roads and highways are complicating rescue efforts, according to BRAC.
“People had no time to save anything,” Ali said. “Entire villages, all of the families who lived in them, and everything they owned – homes, livestock, farmlands, fisheries – have been washed away.”
Get the latest news updates and stay informed with FELA NEWS!
