23 dead, nearly 6 mln affected by floods in Bangladesh

DHAKA, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) — The floods in parts of Bangladesh have left 23 people dead, affected nearly 6 million people, and displaced hundreds of thousands of families.
According to the daily disaster situation report by the country’s National Disaster Response Coordination Center (NDRCC) under the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, 57,01,204 people were affected due to floods in 11 out of the country’s total 64 districts as of Monday afternoon.
The report published on the ministry website said 23 people died in flooding in the country while 12,38,048 families remained marooned in the 11 districts. Two people were also reported missing.
TV reports showed that wide areas of land are underwater in parts of Bangladesh as major rivers overflowed since last week.
Floods also reportedly caused widespread damage to habitation, crops, roads and highways across vast swathes of the country.
Bangladeshi interim government’s Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus Sunday asked all concerned to continue their robust efforts in rescuing stranded people, providing emergency healthcare and extending all-out cooperation for the flood victims.
Authorities have rushed teams of disaster response forces to carry out rescue operations, distribute relief materials, and supervise centers where around half a million flood-affected people have taken shelter.
In the face of the significant challenges posed by the flooding in Bangladesh, the Chinese Embassy in Bangladesh donated ready-to-eat meals, drinking water, and essential living supplies to the hardest-hit area of Feni on Sunday.
Apart from this, the Red Cross Society of China donated to the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society 100,000 U.S. dollars for emergency humanitarian assistance.
Also, the Chinese Embassy here announced to donate 20,000 U.S. dollars to the Chief Adviser’s Relief and Welfare Fund. ■