Flooding kills dozens in South Asia
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Floods and landslides caused by torrential monsoon rains have killed at least 55 people across Nepal, while dozens more are missing, officials said yesterday.
Northeast India has also been hit by floods with 11 deaths recorded as rivers burst their banks.
In Bangladesh, at least a dozen people have died and thousands of shanty homes have been destroyed since April by monsoon rains in overcrowded Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh鈥檚 southeast, officials said yesterday.
Last year, more than 1,200 people were killed across South Asia in monsoon storms, with India鈥檚 Kerala suffering its worst floods in nearly 100 years.
Heavy rains since Thursday have hit several districts in Nepal, especially in the country鈥檚 eastern region and the southern plains, affecting thousands.
Nepal police spokesman Bishwaraj Pokharel said 33 people are missing while over 1,100 people have been rescued.
鈥淲e have mobilized all resources in the country for search, rescue and relief and have been able to reach all affected areas,鈥 Pokharel said.
Authorities said river levels are expected to return to normal from today.
Monsoon rains from June to September cause widespread death and destruction across South Asia each year.
In India at least 11 people have died in the country鈥檚 northeast, officials said, with some 20,000 being housed in relief camps in badly hit Assam state.
Bangladesh鈥檚 meteorological department said the Cox鈥檚 Bazar district 鈥 home to nearly 1 million Rohingya Muslims who have fled a military crackdown in Myanmar 鈥 has seen at least 58.5 centimeters of rain since July 2.
An International Organization for Migration spokeswoman said heavy rains triggered mudslides in the refugee camps 鈥 which are mostly built on hill-slopes 鈥 destroying some 4,889 tarpaulins and bamboo shacks.
More than 200 landslides have been reported since April in the camps, built near the border with Myanmar, and at least 10 people were killed, a UN report said.
In the last week alone, two Rohingya minors died and another 6,000 people were left without shelter because of heavy rains.
Displaced refugees said they were suffering as rain disrupted logistics and daily activity in the camps.
鈥淚t鈥檚 tough to go to food distribution centers by wading through a swamp of mud,鈥 said Nurun Jan, a Rohingya refugee.
鈥淩ains and gusty wind have made our life miserable.鈥
World Food Programme spokeswoman Gemma Snowdon said they had to significantly increase assistance in the camps to cope up with the monsoon.
鈥淪o far 11,400 people have required the extra food assistance due to the heavy rains, compared to 7,000 during the whole of July 2018,鈥 she said.
Last year the UNHCR moved 30,000 Rohingya out of areas considered at high risk of landslides and floods.
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