Floods leave 42 dead and millions homeless in India and Bangladesh

At least 25 people were killed by lightning or landslides over the weekend in Bangladesh, while millions were left abandoned or homeless in low-lying parts of the northeast as the country faces the worst. floods monsoon in its recent history, officials said.

In the state of Assam, in India at least 17 people died during a wave of flooding that began this month, law enforcement officials said on Sunday.

Many of Bangladesh’s rivers rose to dangerous levels, and runoff from strong rains from the Indian mountains exacerbated the situation, said Arifuzzaman Bhuiyan, head of the Flood Forecast and Warning Center.

Thousands of police and military personnel were deployed to parts of the country to help with search and rescue efforts.

About 105,000 people have been evacuated so far, but law enforcement officials estimate that more than four million are still trapped.

Syed Rafiqul Haque, a former lawmaker and ruling party politician in Sunamganj district, said the country would face a humanitarian crisis if rescue operations were not carried out.

“Almost the entire Sylhet-Sunamganj belt is under water and millions of people are trapped,” he said, adding that victims lack food, clean water and communication networks are down.

Regional officials said about 3.1 million people have been displaced, 200,000 of whom are in makeshift shelters run by the government on elevated embankments or other highlands.

Bangladesh and India have been experiencing increasing extreme weather effects in recent years, causing large-scale damage.

Environmentalists warn that climate changes can lead to more disasters, especially in Bangladesh, a low-lying and densely populated country.