Floods Kill Hundreds, Leave Millions Homeless in Southeast Asia

The worst flooding in more than a century in Southeast Asia has killed hundreds of people, washed away towns, and left more than 7 million people in Bangladesh and northeastern India without shelter, according to government officials and disaster relief agencies.

“We have never seen this sort of flooding in our living memories in that region,” said an official at the Red Crescent Society.

As many as 207 people have lost their lives in both countries, according to figures cited by CNN. They died in floods since April. Two of the dead are the husband and sister of Shumana Akhter Aisha. They died after their boat flipped in the waters that left 84% of the Sylhet region and 94% of Sunamganj town in Bangladesh underwater.

"Our boat was filled with water. We weren't able to steer it with our hands," Shumana told the BBC. Shumana and other family survived. All she has left of her husband is a passport photo of him.

The region’s citizens are used to heavy rains and flooding in the monsoon season. This, though, is unusual. Sylhet typically gets about 33 inches of rainfall in June. This year, the area got nearly 5 feet of rainfall by the end of June. 

Experts say climate change is making it worse. A United Nations report says that by 2050, rising sea levels could displace 20 million people. 17% of Bangladesh could be flooded.  

One woman didn't have to wait that long for such a disaster to happen. She told the BBC, “I have nothing left except my life." 

Photo from Reuters.