Floods have engulfed parts of Bangladesh and northeastern India today and authorities are trying to reach more than 9.5 million people trapped with dwindling food and drinking supplies after days of intense rainfall, Reuters reported. of information from officials.

Heavy monsoon rains have caused the worst floods in more than a century in parts of Bangladesh and killed at least 69 people in the past two weeks there and in Assam in northeastern India.

"People are without food. They don't even have access to drinking water after the floods flooded all the wells," Abu Bakr, a resident of northeastern Bangladesh, told Reuters in a telephone interview.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wazed today aerially inspected some of the flood-affected regions and televised footage showing vast areas flooded with muddy water.

Floods in Bangladesh and India have trapped millions

The monsoon season in South Asia is between June and October.

It brings torrential rains that often cause floods, especially in low-lying areas such as Bangladesh, where rivers flowing from the Himalayas often overflow their banks.

Extreme weather events are becoming more common in South Asia, and conservationists warn that climate change could lead to even more severe disasters.

Atikul Haq, director general of Bangladesh's Disaster Management Division, said three more areas in the north and center of the country had been flooded.

"The local administration, together with the army, navy, police, fire brigade, emergency services and volunteers, is conducting rescue and relief operations," he said.

Floods in the Sylhet region are the worst in more than a century, and the UN Children's Fund said 90% of health facilities there have been flooded and the incidence of waterborne diseases is on the rise.

UNICEF said it was urgently seeking $ 2.5 million to deal with the emergency in Bangladesh and was working with the government to arrange supplies of water purification tablets, emergency medical supplies and water storage vessels.

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In the state of Assam in neighboring India, floods have blocked three areas in the Barak Valley and in some parts of the main city in the Silchar region, the water is deep to the waist, local authorities and residents said.

The Indian army and paramilitaries have been sent to help with rescue operations and have evacuated about 1,000 people in the past 72 hours, a spokesman said.

According to the Indian State Meteorological Service in Assam and the neighboring state of Meghalaya, rainfall is 134% above the average for this time of year.

About 4.7 million people have been forced to flee their homes in Assam and about 330,000 have taken refuge, the government said.

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