In Pictures

Photos: Deadly floods cause havoc in Bangladesh, northeast India

Days of heavy rainfall and flooding kill dozens and leave tens of thousands stranded in parts of Bangladesh and India.

Villagers row a makeshift raft through a flooded field to reach a safer place at the flood-affected Mayong village in Morigaon district, in the northeastern state of Assam, India. [Anuwar Hazarika/Reuters]

By News Agencies

Days of heavy rainfall and flooding have left dozens dead and tens of thousands stranded in many parts of Bangladesh and neighbouring India.

In the northeastern Sylhet region of Bangladesh, floodwaters breached a major embankment, inundating dozens of villages and killing at least 10 people, local media reports said on Sunday.

More than 150 roads in the region were completely submerged, cutting off many areas and causing massive damage to the infrastructure, Bangladesh’s Daily Star newspaper reported.

In some areas, the floodwater had started receding on Sunday but many rivers were still flowing above danger levels.

Villagers said they had lost their homes and crops due to the flooding.

Among them was Rahela Khatun who said she had suffered great loss as she tried to clear the mud and debris from her house.

“I wasn’t home for five days. The house isn’t in a livable condition. The flood damaged the house and caused a great loss for me,” she said.

Floods are common in low-lying areas of Bangladesh but experts say they are becoming more ferocious and frequent due to climate change.

Over the border in India, some 50 people have been killed in days of flooding, landslides and thunderstorms, according to local disaster management authorities.

In the northeastern state of Assam, authorities on Sunday said the death toll from the floods had reached 18.

According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), nearly 3,250 villages were partially or fully submerged.

ASDMA officials said the situation had improved slightly but that it remained critical in some districts.

According to their estimate, more than 92,000 people were in relief camps.

The state and national rescue forces, helped by the army, are working to rescue people from villages and distribute food, clean drinking water and other essentials, as well as clear roads.

In India’s Bihar state, at least 33 people were killed in thunderstorms last week, reports said.

The deadly floods come as South Asia has been reeling under an intense heatwave, with temperatures touching nearly 50 degrees Celsius (122 Fahrenheit) in some places.

A boy sits at a shop along a flooded street following heavy rains in Sylhet — A boy sits at a shop along a flooded street after heavy rains in Sylhet, Bangladesh. [Mamun Hossain/AFP]

People disembark a boat after they were evacuated from a flooded village in Nagaon district, in the northeastern state of Assam — Nearly 90,000 people have been moved to state-run relief shelters as water levels in rivers run high and large swaths of land remain submerged in most districts in Assam, India. [Anuwar Hazarika/Reuters]

Aerial photograph shows a large flooded area following heavy rains in Companiganj — An aerial photograph shows a large flooded area following heavy rains in Companiganj, Bangladesh. [AFP]

Villagers travel with their cattle on a boat through a flooded area after heavy rains in Nagaon district, Assam — Villagers travel on a boat with their cattle through a flooded area after heavy rains in Nagaon in India's Assam state. [Biju Boro/AFP]

Rickshaw pullers transport customers along a flooded street following heavy rainfalls in Sylhet, Bangladesh. [Mamun Hossain/AFP]

Villagers wade through a flooded road after heavy rains in Hojai district of India's Assam. [Biju Boro/AFP]

A woman cooks outside her home in a flooded corridor following heavy rainfalls in Sylhet — A woman cooks in a flooded corridor outside her home after heavy rainfalls in Sylhet, Bangladesh. [Mamun Hossain/AFP]

People move in a boat through a flooded field in Morigaon district in the northeastern state of Assam — People move in a boat through a flooded field in Morigaon district in the northeastern Indian state of Assam. [Anuwar Hazarika/Reuters]

A fruit vendor sells bananas along a flooded street following heavy rains in Sylhet, Bangladesh. [Mamun Hossain/AFP]