At least 62 dead in Bangladesh and India as millions more left homeless
The death toll from recent flooding in India and Bangladesh has risen to 62 as millions more have been left homeless, ITV News' Callum Watkins reports.
Massive flooding and mudslides in India's Assam state have claimed eight more lives bringing the death toll to 62, officials said.
Assam's disaster management agency said 32 of the state's 35 districts were underwater following weeks of heavy rains that caused one of Asia’s largest rivers , the Brahmaputra, to overflow.
The incident has displacing more than 3 million people.
Now, the Indian army is assisting with rescue efforts and the air force remains on standby.
Forecasters expect a respite from rains after the downpours.
Assam's Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma toured flood-hit areas and described the situation as grim.
“We are now focusing on relief and rescue operations,” Sarma said, adding that more than 20,000 people have been evacuated by the army and other rescue agencies.
Annual monsoon rains usually hit the region between June and September. The rains are crucial for crops planted during the season but often cause extensive damage.
Flooding from swollen rivers has also spilled over to neighbouring Bangladesh, where the government said the situation was likely to deteriorate in the worst-hit Sunamganj and Sylhet districts in the north and north-east.
Situation in Bangladesh
The situation in Bangladesh seems equally harsh with lightning strikes killing at least nine people, millions of homes left underwater and transport links having been severed.
According to the UN's intergovernmental panel on climate change, around 17% of people in Bangladesh will need to relocate in the next 10-years if global warming continues at its current pace.
Army personnel have been deployed to assist with flood relief efforts as the north-eastern district of Sylhet in Bangladesh is engulfed by extreme rainfall and heavily floods.
Large swathes of the Sylhet region are currently experiencing power outages and telecommunication breakdowns, while multiple roads have also been submerged decimating travel networks.
The flooding in Sylhet - the worst in a generation - has also forced authorities to shut down Osmani International Airport in the city.
Bangladesh’s geography as a country with low-lying land sitting in Asia’s largest river delta system makes it particularly vulnerable to climate change.
Experts are saying this latest bout of extreme whether, is a symptom of this.
Professor Saleemul Huq, Director of the International Centre for Climate Change and Development in Dhaka told ITV News: "This is yet another example of just how bad climate change is impacting us all.
"When the world emits emissions, sure we all feel it, but climatically vulnerable countries like Bangladesh feel it the worst. Everyone needs to see how disastrous the situation in Sylhet is right now so that the richer countries might act."
Flood warnings remain throughout Sylhet and neighbouring areas as the rain shows no sign of easing off.
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