46 Dead as monsoon rains slam India, Bangladesh
Dhaka/New Delhi, Jun 18 (EFE).- Storms accompanying monsoon season have caused at least 46 deaths this week in northeastern India and Bangladesh, authorities in the two neighboring countries said Saturday.
The Indian states of Assam and Meghalaya have accumulated 34 weather-related fatalities since Tuesday, while 12 people have perished and 4 million residents have been affected in the Sylhet and Sunamganj districts of Bangladesh.
“The situation worsened today as it has been raining continuously. Rivers are also full, so water could not recede. Most of the areas in Sylhet and Sunamganj are without power,” Mohammad Zakaria, the deputy commissioner in Sylhet, told EFE.
“Due to worsening situation, we are facing difficulties in rescue efforts,” he said.
Eight of the deaths in Bangladesh were due to lightning strikes and four people, including a child, died Saturday in mudslides in the city of Chittagong, police inspector Shaker Ahmed told Efe.
The Meghalaya state government said on Twitter that a rescue worker was among 17 people killed in floods and landslides, announcing that it was closing schools and some roads as a precaution.
The Assam State Disaster Management Authority also reported 17 fatalities.
On Thursday, according to India’s defense ministry, at least 50 residents of one village had to be rescued from rising water.
The Indian Meteorological Department forecast that extremely heavy rain will continue for the next three days in Assam, Meghalaya, and the nearby states of West Bengal and Sikkim.
Monsoon season, which runs from May through September, typically claims hundreds of lives in South Asia.
A week of torrential downpours last month left 74 people dead in India and Bangladesh. EFE
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