Bangladesh Flood Disaster Kills 51, Leaves Over One Million Affected

At least 51 people have died and more than one million others have been affected after days of torrential monsoon rains triggered widespread flooding and landslides across Bangladesh.

The relentless downpour has submerged large parts of the country, including sections of the capital, Dhaka, forcing thousands of residents from their homes and into emergency shelters.

Authorities said more than half of the fatalities were recorded in Cox's Bazar, where severe flooding has devastated communities, including the world's largest Rohingya refugee settlement.

Among the victims were several students and a teacher who died after floodwaters swept through a school in the district last week.

Bangladesh's disaster management agencies said the heavy rainfall began more than a week ago but intensified in recent days, prompting flood and landslide warnings, evacuations from high-risk communities and the postponement of school examinations.

Thousands of displaced residents are currently taking refuge in government-operated emergency shelters.

In Dhaka, widespread flooding has disrupted daily life, with roads submerged and traffic severely affected as water levels reached knee height in some neighbourhoods.

Local media also raised concerns over the effectiveness of the capital's drainage infrastructure as floodwaters continued to inundate major streets.

According to the Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre, conditions in southeastern Bangladesh, including Cox's Bazar, are expected to improve gradually.

However, officials warned that continued monsoon rainfall across the country's northern and northeastern regions could lead to additional flooding in the coming days.

Bangladesh, a low-lying delta nation crisscrossed by hundreds of rivers, experiences seasonal flooding every year during the monsoon.

Climate experts, however, have warned that climate change is making rainfall events increasingly intense and more frequent, heightening the risk of devastating floods and landslides across the country.