Bangladesh: Severe floods displace nearly 300,000 people to emergency shelters

Nearly 300,000 residents of Bangladesh have been forced to seek refuge in emergency shelters due to the floods hitting the country since August 20, according to rescue officials.

Kamrul Hasan, Secretary of the Ministry of Disaster Management, reported that 18 people have died across various districts. This includes Cox’s Bazar, which is home to about one million Rohingya refugees from neighbouring Myanmar.

The flood has damaged the highways and railways connecting the capital Dhaka and Chittagong, the country’s main port city. Consequently, it hindered access to the affected areas and disrupted economic activity.

Accordingly, a field hospital with physicians from the army and a district civil surgeon office has been prepared in Feni, in addition to a total of 770 medical teams mobilised to provide treatment to the affected people.