Publication Date August 25, 2017 | Reuters

Worst monsoon floods in years kill more than 1,200 across South Asia

Bangladesh
People walk on the water as roads are flooded due to heavy rain in Dhaka, Bangladesh July 26, 2017. Photo: Mohammad Ponir Hossain, Reuters
People walk on the water as roads are flooded due to heavy rain in Dhaka, Bangladesh July 26, 2017. Photo: Mohammad Ponir Hossain, Reuters

The death toll from floods in India, Bangladesh and Nepal has climbed above 1,200, officials said on Friday, as rescue workers scramble to provide aid to millions of people stranded by the worst such disaster in years.

All three countries suffer frequent flooding during the June-September monsoon season, but international aid agencies say things are worse this year with thousands of villages cut off and people deprived of food and clean water for days.

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“This year farming has collapsed due to floods and we will witness a sharp rise in unemployment,” said Anirudh Kumar, a disaster management official in Patna, the capital of poor Bihar state known for mass migration to cities in search of jobs.