Massive floods kill 108 in Bangladesh
Credit to Author: GLOBAL TIMES| Date: Sun, 04 Aug 2019 16:15:51 +0000
Massive floods triggered by heavy seasonal rains and onrush of water from hills across the Indian borders have claimed at least 108 lives in Bangladesh.
A senior official of the country’s National Disaster Response Coordination Center (NDRCC) told Xinhua Sunday morning that “the floods caused the deaths of 108 people in 16 districts and widespread damage to habitation, crops, roads and highways across vast swathes of the country.”
Quoting the NDRCC’s daily flood situation report, the official, on condition of anonymity, said most victims had drowned but some died in boat capsizals in the flood-hit areas.
Since the first week of the last month, he said at least 6 million people have been affected by the floods, while thousands of families were forced flee home.
Citing the report, he said flood situation was now improving in most of the districts with water levels in many rivers receding.
Millions of people in Bangladesh, criss-crossed by more than 230 rivers, suffer from flooding as the low-lying country experiences seasonal floods every year during the June to September monsoon when rivers that feed into the Bay of Bengal burst their banks.
Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina earlier urged officials to remain alert to tackle flood, saying some parts of the country had been flooded and the flood water would slowly come down to the mid areas of the country by the end of August.
Global Times