Monsoons kill 1,200, displace millions in India, Nepal & Bangladesh (PHOTOS & VIDEOS)
India, Nepal and Bangladesh are battling some of the worst monsoon rains in recent history, which have left around 1,200 people dead and 41 million people affected. In India more than 32 million people have reportedly been impacted by downpours.
Vast areas of land across all three countries are underwater, according to the Red Cross. “Rainwater from the Himalayas is travelling down through Nepal’s lower-lying areas, through swollen rivers in north-east India and eventually through the floodplains of Bangladesh,” it said in a statement.
West Bengal is the worst affected area in India, with 152 deaths and 15 million people affected, according to the UN. The country is struggling to deal with heavier-than-usual monsoon rains, with more than 600 deaths caused by downpours.
Floods in Mumbai have prompted locals to open their homes to those stranded, using the hashtag “Rainhost.”
Anyone stuck near kalanagar(bkc) is welcome at my home geetanjali apartments, khernagar #rainhost#MumbaiRains
— chetan gindodia (@chetan_gindodia) August 29, 2017
Anyone stuck at Sakinaka / Andheri East / Chandivili, please let me know. My home is open. #Rainhost#Rainhosts#Mumbairains. Please RT
— Utsav Mamoria (@utsavmamoria) August 29, 2017
The Mumbai monsoon rains are reported to be the city’s heaviest since 2005.
READ MORE: Heavy monsoon rains paralyze India's financial center, Mumbai (PHOTOS, VIDEOS)
In Bangladesh 114 people have been killed and nearly 7 million affected.
The heavy rains began in mid-August, with more downpours forecast for the coming days. Video and images uploaded to social media from the Chitwan District in Nepal show flooded roads from mid-August.
As the rains continued into late August the situation grew worse, with 143 people killed in Nepal and nearly half a million displaced.
