At least 20 people have lost their lives in flash floods caused by heavy rains in several districts of eastern Bangladesh, northeastern India and northern Thailand. Millions of people are trapped as vast areas of the three countries are submerged under water. Local rescue team members are making desperate efforts to rescue the victims. This information was reported by the French news agency AFP and the US news agency Associated Press (AP) on Thursday.
According to reports, India’s northeastern state of Tripura has been experiencing record heavy rainfall for the past few days. At least 11 people have lost their lives in the state alone till Wednesday due to floods caused by heavy rains. Besides, thousands of people left their homes and took refuge in shelters. Besides, millions of people are still trapped in the flood. Landslides have also occurred in different areas. The same situation has been created in some districts of eastern part of Bangladesh.

At least seven of the 11 people killed in Tripura were swept away by the current. And the other four died in the landslide. According to the US news agency AP, 4 people were killed in Bangladesh as the water of the same rivers in Bangladesh, located upstream, entered the locality and caused sudden floods.
The Meteorological Department of Tripura has issued a red alert following heavy rains in several areas including the capital Agartala on Wednesday. In view of this, the authorities have announced closure of schools for two days.

Eastern Bangladesh has been ravaged by rain and rising water from upstream Tripura state. Some districts like Comilla, Feni and Noakhali have lost electricity or road connectivity. A large part of the highway in the southeastern port city of Chittagong has been submerged, making traffic with the capital Dhaka difficult.
The Bangladesh Flood Forecasting and Warning Center says that the water level in many rivers in the eastern, northeastern and southeastern regions of the country is continuously rising. About a dozen volunteers told the AP by telephone that they are struggling to rescue people as there is no communication in many of the flood-hit areas. The country’s interim government has said that power has been cut in many areas due to flooding.

In addition, at least five people were killed in floods caused by monsoonal heavy rains in the northern part of Thailand, another Asian country. More than 2,000 hectares of agricultural land have been inundated by floods in the country. Thousands of homes have been damaged by flooding, Thai government officials said Thursday.

The country’s new prime minister, Petang Tarn Shinawatra, ordered aid to be sent to the worst-hit areas in Chiang Rai, Nan and Phayao provinces. The country’s Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department said the floods destroyed 2,52 hectares of agricultural land and affected 12,777 families.

Floods in India have created a dire situation in Tripura. Chief Minister Manik Saha said, “We are monitoring the situation closely and focusing on providing relief to the displaced.” Authorities have set up more than 300 relief camps in Tripura. Although the number of displaced people is estimated to be in thousands.