Nearly 200 people died in the floods and landslides caused by the monsoons in Bangladesh, Nepal and India, officials from these southern Asian countries announced on Sunday, which are preparing for rising waters in the coming days.
According to the agency France-Presse (AFP), in Bangladesh about 67 people died and 2.6 million were affected by the floods caused by the rise of water courses during the last two weeks, the authorities indicated.
“In total, 55 people drowned and eight burned” in the course of the weather, Bangladesh Health Ministry spokeswoman Ayesha Akther told AFP.
According to the head of Bangladesh’s flood warning and forecasting center, Arifuzzaman Bhuiyan, “the flood situation has improved over the past few days, but the water level in the rivers is increasing again in the north.”
One third of Bangladesh’s territory is flooded and authorities expect the number to rise to 40%, according to AFP.
In Nepal, 79 people have died and 46 are missing due to floods and landslides, and the government has warned that floods could worsen in the next three days.
In India, the floods have caused 45 deaths in the state of Assam (northeast) over the past two weeks, according to authorities.
More than 100 animals from the Kaziranga national park, classified as a UNESCO world heritage site and home to two-thirds of the world’s population of Indian rhinos (known for their unicorn), died in the wake of the floods.
Diluvian rains in the monsoon season, between June and September, cause floods, landslides and storms in South Asia every year, causing hundreds of deaths.
