Death toll at 73 in Bangladesh floods

DHAKA: The death toll from floods in Bangladesh rose to 73 with five people killed in the last 24 hours, officials said Friday.

The disaster in parts of the country is deteriorating due to the onrush from upstream in India.

Fourty-nine fatalities were reported from drowning while the rest died in flood-related cases, including lightning strikes, snake bites, diarrhea, skin diseases and landslides.

Millions are still inundated and stranded in remote areas as they wait with children and the elderly for relief items, reported Anadolu Agency.

Rina Begum, 45, a resident of a remote area of Balaganj sub-district in the northeastern border district of Sylhet, has been living at the house of a neighbour with her five children.

The widow left her mud house more than a week ago.

"I haven't had any material relief until now. There is no way to move from here to any nearby shelter as the communication system has fully collapsed," Begum told the news agency with the help of a mobile phone of a relative.

Like Begum, hundreds of thousands of people in flood-hit remote areas have been stranded for more than a week without relief.

Mohammad Shajahan, 40, has been stranded in another remote part of Balaganj with his three daughters in his mud house which is at risk of being washed away.

"Is it our sin to give birth in this area in a poor family?" Shajahan asked while speaking to the agency.

"We have been surviving for the last couple of days just drinking rainwater. We want a permanent solution to this disaster," he said, underlining the plight of residents in the area.

Deputy Commissioner of Sylhet, Md. Mojibur Rahman said that the government has allocated ample relief items for affected people, adding that due to the communication disruption, some stranded in the remote areas could not be reached.

To date, the worsening floods have affected 13 districts in Bangladesh, marooning huge croplands and affecting life for millions of people -- many of whom experienced another massive flood last month.

-- BERNAMA