Cooch Behar, West Bengal: The death toll in West Bengal’s northern areas due to heavy rains and floods rose to 12 as rail and road connectivity with the rest of the state continued to be in a shambles on Tuesday.

The bodies of two unidentified youths were recovered from the Kaljani river in Cooch Behar district’s Tufanganj, taking the death toll in north Bengal to 12, police said.

The body of a middle-aged woman was recovered from the same river in the district on Monday night.

The water level in some of the inundated areas in Jalpaiguri and Cooch Behar districts subsided after a let-up in incessant rains that lashed the area for most of last week. However, the flood situation has worsened in Malda, North Dinajpur and South Dinajpur districts.

Many parts of Malda were flooded by the Mahananda river while waters of Kulik river in North Dinajpur district has inundated parts of National Highway 34, which is a vital terrestrial lifeline between south and north Bengal.

Assam situation worsens

Guwahati: The flood situation in Assam deteriorated as a second spell of heavy rain affected 25 of its 32 districts claiming 10 more lives, besides displacing 3.3 million people.

The army was assisting the civil administration in rescue and relief operations as the Brahmaputra river and its tributaries were flowing above their danger levels snapping surface communications in many parts of the north-eastern state.

Three persons died in Morigaon district, one each in Dhemaji, Darrang, Kokrajhar, Dhubri, Goalpara, Nagaon and Dibrugarh districts, taking the toll to 28.

According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) in Guwahati, the toll in flood-related incidents this year now stands at 112.

Across 25 districts, including Dhemaji, Lakhimpur, Biswanath, Sonitpur, Darrang, Baksa, Nalbari, Barpeta and Bongaigaon, some 3.3 million people were affected.

Dhemaji district in upper Assam is the worst-hit with nearly 100,000 people affected. Flood waters were flowing over the roofs of houses in many areas, the ASDMA said.

Bangladesh death toll at 29

Dhaka: At least 29 people have died in the last few days in floods caused by heavy rainfall in Bangladesh, officials said.

The floods have affected almost a third of the country, said Reaz Ahmad, Director General of Bangladesh’s Disaster Management Department, on Tuesday.

“So far, we have received news of 29 deaths since August 12 and three people still remain missing,” Ahmad told Efe news.

Almost a third of the country’s territory (20 out of 64 districts) was flooded and another six districts were heading in that direction, he added.

Around 90,000 people were evacuated to 1,151 shelters while 1.6 million were affected by the floods, according to the official.

It may be recalled that 18 people died in floods in northeastern Bangladesh in June, according to the agency.

Located in the Ganges delta at little altitude above sea level and with a fifth of its territory covered by rivers or their tributaries, Bangladesh is struck every year by floods sparked by monsoon rains.