Monsoon floods claim 16 lives in southeastern Bangladesh

480,000 people affected in coastal Cox’s Bazar district as floods wash away crops and fish farms

By SM Najmus Sakib

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA) - At least 16 people, including children, have died in monsoon floods in southeastern Bangladesh, an official said Thursday.

Two others are missing in the floods that have affected 480,000 people in the Cox's Bazar district, commissioner Muhammad Shaheen Imran told Anadolu over the phone.

Monsoon rains in Bangladesh, usually from June to September, affect hundreds of thousands of people every year.

The Chittagong-Cox's Bazar highway, a key transport route, opened on Thursday after two days as flood waters receded.

The floods have caused damages worth 14 million Bangladeshi taka ($127,903), according to initial estimates of the district administration on Thursday.

Seed beds, crop fields and fish enclosures were also washed away in the floods.

Search and rescue operations are underway in the flood-hit areas.

Kaynak: