FENI: At least 13 people have died, and 4.5 million have been affected by floods in Bangladesh, triggered by heavy rains, according to the country’s disaster management and relief ministry on Friday.
The South Asian nation, home to 170 million people and intersected by hundreds of rivers, has experienced frequent flooding in recent decades and is one of the most disaster-prone countries globally, as highlighted by the Global Climate Risk Index.
A bulletin from the disaster ministry reported that 13 fatalities have occurred, and 4.5 million people have been impacted by the floods.
Nearly 190,000 individuals have been evacuated to emergency relief shelters across 11 of the country’s 64 districts. The worst-hit area is Feni, located about 100 kilometers (60 miles) northwest of the main port city of Chittagong.
“It’s a catastrophic situation here,” said Zahed Hossain Bhuiya, a 35-year-old rescue volunteer in Feni, speaking to AFP. “We are trying to rescue as many people as we can.”
