45 die in monsoon floods
Monsoon floods battering parts of Bangladesh claimed 45 lives in the past four days, washing away many houses and displacing thousands of villagers, relief officials said today.
Twelve people drowned in floods in the southeastern Chittagong district on Saturday when another three died of diarrhoea after drinking flood-tainted water in neighbouring Khagrachari district.
The latest casualties brought to 45 the death toll from floods and landslides in the southeastern region about 135 miles from the Bangladesh capital, Dhaka.
The floods, which started on Thursday, forced about 5,000 people from their homes in hardest-hit Khagrachari district, where officials reported an outbreak of waterborne diseases such as diarrhoea and fever.
The evacuees, many camped in schools, complained of overcrowding.
“The living condition here is terrible. There is a serious shortage of food and water,” said Abdul Kalam, one of the flood victims in Khagrachari.
At least 20,000 people were stranded in inundated villages in Chittagong district, where floods damaged dozens of flimsy huts and rice crops. Villagers have only small boats for transportation.
