At least 52 dead amid devastating floods in Bangladesh

DHAKA, Aug. 29 (Xinhua) — The death toll from devastating floods that have ravaged southeastern Bangladesh for weeks reached 52 on Thursday, according to a report of the Disaster Management and Relief Ministry, as millions of people remained cut off in parts of the country.
Twenty-one more flood-related deaths were reported in Bangladesh on Thursday, raising the toll from the current flooding to 52, according to the National Disaster Response Coordination Center under the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief.
Of the deceased, 14 died in Cumilla, 17 in Feni, six in Chattogram, three in Cox’s Bazar, eight in Noakhali, and one each in Brahmanbaria, Lakshmipur, Khagrachhari and Moulvibazar.
Over 5 million people have been affected by the floodwaters that hit 11 of the country’s 64 districts and caused colossal damage to life, property and standing crops.
The report said more than half a million flood-affected people, including women and children, took shelter in 3,403 centers.
The ongoing devastating floods triggered by seasonal rains and sudden onrush of water from hills across the Indian borders have left over 1 million people marooned in about a dozen southeastern and northeastern districts.
Earlier, Bangladeshi interim government’s Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus urged all concerned to continue their efforts in rescuing stranded people, providing emergency healthcare, and extending cooperation for the victims.
The authorities have sent teams of disaster response forces to carry out rescue operations, distribute relief materials and supervise centers where the flood-affected people have taken shelter. ■