Unprecedented Monsoon Floods Kill 630 People, Affect 17.5Mln In South Asia - IFRC

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 07th August, 2020) Over 630 people have already been killed and about 17.5 million affected in South Asia by unprecedented floods caused by monsoon rains, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said on Thursday.

"So far almost 17.5 million people have been affected and more than 630 killed by major floods in India, Bangladesh and Nepal according to government figures. Half of Bangladesh's districts are underwater, leaving nearly 1 million families stranded and cut off in their villages. Flooding and landslides in Nepal have left almost 200 people dead or missing. In India, almost 12 million people are affected by the floods mainly in the northern states of Assam and Bihar," the press release read.

According to the IFRC, the monsoon season also makes a high proportion of the population in South Asia vulnerable to diseases such as dengue, malaria, leptospirosis and cholera.

"This is one of the biggest monsoon floods we have faced in many years and the worst may be yet to come as we face growing risks of malaria, dengue, diarrhea as well as this worsening COVID-19 pandemic," Bangladesh Red Crescent chief Feroz Salah Uddin said as quoted in the press release.

There have been also numerous reports about deadly incidents with capsizing vessels, particularly in Bangladesh, in recent months caused by high waters in local rivers.