Floods claim 108 lives in Bangladesh

Dhaka, Aug 4 (IANS) Floods triggered by heavy seasonal rains and onrush of water from hills across the Indian borders have claimed at least 108 lives in Bangladesh, a disaster official said on Sunday.

The senior official of the country's National Disaster Response Coordination Centre (NDRCC) told Xinhua news agency that "the floods caused the deaths of 108 people in 16 districts and widespread damage to habitation, crops, roads and highways across vast swathes of the country".

Quoting the NDRCC's daily flood situation report, the official, on condition of anonymity, said most victims have drowned but some died in boat capsizals in the flood-hit areas.

Since the first week of the last month, he said at least six million people have been affected by the floods while thousands of families were forced flee home.

Citing the report, he said flood situation is now improving in most of the districts with water levels in many rivers receding.

Millions of people in Bangladesh, criss-crossed by more than 230 rivers, suffer from flooding as the low-lying country experiences seasonal floods every year during the June-September monsoon when rivers that feed into the Bay of Bengal burst their banks.

Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina earlier urged officials to remain alert to tackle flood, saying some parts of the country have been flooded and the flood water would slowly come down to the mid areas of the country by the end of August.