The situation is worst in northeastern Bangladesh and the region around India. Water masses have besieged millions of people and rainfall is projected to continue.
18:34 • Updated 6:36 PM
Dozens of people have died in weekend monsoon storms in South Asia, Bangladesh and India.
In Bangladesh, at least 15 people have died in lightning strikes and four in landslides.
In northeastern Bangladesh, water masses have risen very rapidly, in a matter of hours, and entire villagers have been taken into shelter for schools because of it.
A 23-year-old in the village of Companiganji near the Indian border Lokman and his family waited for help all day on the roof of his home.
– Eventually our neighbor saved us by boat. My mother said she has never seen such bad floods in her life, Lokman told AFP.
Another woman rescued from the flooded area said her family had had nothing to eat for two days.
– The water rose so fast that we didn’t have time to take anything with us, Asma Akter said.
The northeastern part of Bangladesh is largely in power
Much of northeastern Bangladesh is under water and “the situation is getting worse,” local authorities told Reuters.
More than four million people have been flooded by floods in the Sylhet area.
Television images show roads and railways in the water. People wade chest in the tall brown water and carry goods and cattle.
The situation is also bad in the flooded state of Maghaya in India, where at least 16 people have died in the floods.
In the neighboring state of Assam, more than 1.8 million people have been affected by the floods after five days of rain.
In India, the floodwaters along the Brahmaputra River have risen to more than 3,000 villages.
Climate change can exacerbate natural disasters
Seasonal monsoon rains are a lifeline for farmers throughout South Asia.
Almost every year, they also wreak havoc.
Experts say climate change could increase the frequency, intensity and unpredictability of natural disasters, especially in low-lying and densely populated Bangladesh.
According to an expert interviewed by the news agency Reuters, floods caused by rainfall could be the worst in nearly two decades in Bangladesh.
Rainfall is forecast to continue this weekend. India and Bangladesh have alerted the military to help.