At least 25 people were killed by lightning or landslides in Bangladesh over the weekend, while millions were left stranded or homeless in low-lying northeastern parts ravaged by the worst monsoon floods in the country’s recent history, according to officials.
At least 17 people were killed in the neighboring Indian state of Assam during the flooding that began this month, police authorities reported on Sunday.
According to Arifuzzaman Bhuiyan, the head of the state-run Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre, many of Bangladesh’s rivers have reached unsafe levels, and runoff from heavy rain from the Indian Himalayas has aggravated the issue.
Thousands of police officers and army personnel have been sent across the country to assist with search and rescue efforts.
So far, over 105,000 people have been evacuated, but police officers believe that over four million people were still stranded.
Former congressman and governing party leader in Sunamganj district Syed Rafiqul Haque claimed the country would face a humanitarian disaster if effective rescue operations were not carried out.
‘Almost the entire Sylhet-Sunamganj belt is under water and millions of people are stranded,’ he said, adding victims have no food, drinking water and communication networks were down.
According to regional officials, over 3.1 million people have been displaced, with 200,000 of them sleeping in government-run improvised shelters on raised embankments or in nearby elevations.
In recent years, Bangladesh and India have experienced an increase in harsh weather, inflicting widespread devastation.
Environmentalists warn that climate change would exacerbate disasters, particularly in low-lying and heavily populated Bangladesh.