In Bangladesh, 1.3 million people affected by massive floods

“Their villages, their roads and most of their houses were flooded by the floods”a regional official from Sylhet, one of Bangladesh’s largest cities, told AFP on Wednesday July 3. In total, more than 1.3 million people were killed “touched” by flash floods after heavy rains in the northeast of the country. Every year, monsoon rains cause widespread destruction, but experts point out that climate change is increasing the number of extreme events.

Rivers in the region suddenly swelled after heavy rains in northeast India. Bangladesh, a low-lying country of about 170 million people, is among the most vulnerable to climate change, according to the Global Climate Risk Index (GCI).

In Bangladesh, two people, including a Rohingya refugee, died in landslides triggered by heavy rains. Local authorities also said large camps housing Rohingya refugees from Myanmar had been relocated as a safety precaution. In India, at least four people died in floods in the northeast of the country after heavy rains hit the state of Assam, according to local authorities.