Floods have hit hundreds of thousands of people in northeastern India and eastern neighboring Bangladesh, killing at least 15 people and leaving rescuers struggling to reach those in need, officials and media reports said Thursday.
At least 11 people have been killed and thousands have been displaced from their homes due to floods and landslides that have hit India's northeastern state of Tripura, which borders Bangladesh, since Wednesday.
Four other people died in Bangladesh because upstream India and downstream Bangladesh share the same river along their border.
In Bangladesh, a pregnant woman died after she fell into a fast-flowing river in Akhaura in Brahmanbaria district, the Bengali-language Kal Bela newspaper reported. Three others died from drowning and electrocution, it said.
Rain and rising water levels of rivers from upstream Tripura state have devastated many areas in eastern Bangladesh.
Many residents in the worst-hit districts of Cumilla, Feni and Noakhali appealed for rescue help after power outages and road links were disrupted. Travel and communications were cut between the capital, Dhaka, and the southeastern port city of Chattogram as parts of a major highway were submerged in water.
Bangladesh's Flood Forecasting and Warning Center said Thursday that water levels in many rivers in the eastern, northeastern and southeastern parts of the delta nation were still rising.
Dozens of volunteers who rushed to the scene by boat and speedboat in the area told The Associated Press by phone that they were struggling to reach many affected people because their cellphone numbers were unreachable. Many areas had lost power, the government said.
“People can’t cook anything, what are we going to do now? Where are we going to go? Many have left their homes. The situation is very bad here,” said a resident of Noakhali village in Bangladesh.
The military and other authorities have begun rescue operations in the area, authorities said.
Although both neighboring countries were affected by the floods, many Bangladeshis blamed India for the floods, saying it opened a river dam in Tripura, causing the sudden floods in Bangladesh. India's foreign ministry denied this in a statement.
Monsoon rains in the South Asian countries of India and Bangladesh usually begin in June. India and Bangladesh share 54 rivers that flow from the Himalayas to the Bay of Bengal. The countries are at odds over how much of their water is shared. (ab/lt)
