13 dead, 4.5m affected by Bangladesh floods

At least 13 people have died and 4.5 million others have been affected by devastating floods in Bangladesh, according to a report from the disaster management and relief ministry released on Friday.

The floods, triggered by torrential rains, have swamped large parts of the low-lying nation, adding to the challenges faced by the new government following weeks of political turmoil.

The South Asian country, home to 170 million people and crisscrossed by hundreds of rivers, is frequently impacted by floods, making it one of the most vulnerable nations to climate change, according to the Global Climate Risk Index.

The ministry’s bulletin revealed that nearly 190,000 people have been evacuated to emergency relief shelters, with 11 of the country’s 64 districts affected by the rising waters.

The district of Feni, located approximately 100 kilometres (60 miles) northwest of the major port city of Chittagong, has been particularly hard hit.

“It’s a catastrophic situation here,” said Zahed Hossain Bhuiya, a 35-year-old rescue volunteer in Feni. “We are trying to rescue as many people as we can.”