More than 170 people have died and millions more have been affected by the rains in India and Bangladesh

New Delhi / Dhaka, June 24 (EFE) .- More than 170 people have been killed and millions more affected by heavy rains that have hit several states in northeastern India and neighboring Bangladesh in recent weeks.

The northeastern states of Assam and Meghalaya have been hit hard by floods in India, killing 98 people since the onset of heavy rains since Tuesday last week.

In Assam, in the last 24 hours, floods have claimed the lives of 81 people and more than 4,300 houses have been damaged or completely destroyed, according to the latest data from the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA). In English).

Thousands of people have sought refuge in relocation centers as those who do not want to leave their homes are left without food, electricity and drinking water.

Eighty percent of Silchar (Assam), one of the worst-hit cities, was submerged, forcing its residents to build boats to move or carry some bottled water, as can be seen in various pictures. Local television NDTV.

Region Governor Himanta Biswa Sharma on Thursday flew by helicopter to the affected area and assured the media that they were distributing hundreds of thousands of bottles of water daily to be delivered to the people, before which they would have to be delivered by air. Difficulty accessing by road.

Engineers and technicians are also recovering electricity by helicopter, he said.

In the annexed state of Meghalaya, authorities say 18 people have been killed by floods and landslides, including a rescue team member and several children.

Bangladesh

In Bangladesh, the death toll from floods has risen to 75 in the past two weeks, although water levels in most affected districts have begun to recede, officials said on Friday.

“The flood situation is improving in most regions. We expect the situation to return to normal in two or three days,” Aripussaman Puyyan, director of the Center for Flood Warning and Warning, told Efe.

According to a recent bulletin released by the Health Emergency Control Room, at least 37 people have been killed in floods this week, especially in the north of the country.

This new death toll has been added to the 38 deaths recorded last week by the non-profit organization of the Foundation for the Disaster due to the lack of official data, although 28 of them were due to lightning strikes.

Rainfall causes significant personal and material damage in South Asian countries each year, especially during the monsoon season between May and September.

Heavy rains in northern India and Bangladesh last month killed at least 74 people and injured millions more. EFE

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