DHAKA/ASSAM, India, June 19 (Reuters) – Lightning and landslides killed at least 25 people this weekend in Bangladesh as millions of people were left isolated or homeless in northeastern country, hit by the worst monsoon floods in recent history, officials said.
In the neighboring Indian state of Assam, at least 17 people have also died in floods that have been raging since the beginning of the month, police officials added.
Many rivers in Bangladesh have reached critical levels and heavy rains have made the situation worse. Several thousand police and military personnel have been deployed to assist in search and rescue operations.
About 105,000 people have been evacuated so far, but police estimate that more than four million people are still in difficulty.
The floods have isolated many villagers who lack food, drinking water or access to communication networks, said Syed Rafiqul Haque, a member of the ruling party in Sunamganj district.
Bangladesh and India have been experiencing increasingly extreme weather events for several years.
Voices are multiplying to say that climate change is likely to lead to an increase in this type of natural disaster, especially in countries close to sea level and very densely populated. (Ruma Paul and Zarir Hussain, Gilles Guillaume for the French version)