Bangladesh: Floods death toll up as conditions worsen

At least 111 people have now died in Bangladesh due to floods that have ravaged the country’s northern parts for almost a month, authorities said on Saturday.

Eleven more fatalities were reported in various flood-hit areas as the situation continues to deteriorate since the onset of monsoon rains at the end of June.

According to the country’s health authorities, nearly 9,500 people in low-lying areas have fallen victim to water-borne diseases over the past 25 days.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies estimate that almost a third of Bangladesh has been affected, and conditions are likely to worsen as more rainfall and flooding is expected over the coming days.

Earlier this week, UNICEF said more than 2.4 million people, including around 1.3 million children, have been impacted, with more than half a million – around 550,000 – families displaced from their homes.

Meanwhile, coronavirus cases also continue to rise across the country, reaching 221,178 with 2,520 additions over the past 24 hours.

The South Asian country registered 38 more fatalities over the past day, raising the Covid-19 death toll to 2,874.

Recoveries also increased by 1,114 to reach 122,090, according to the Health Ministry.

Bangladesh has conducted over 1.1 million tests so far, with 10,446 more samples tested over the past day.