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| Afghanistan/South Asia |
| Eight million lose homes as floods in Asia kill 320 |
| 2004-07-15 |
| SOLDIERS dug out bodies buried by landslides and helicopters dropped food to thousands of people made homeless after monsoon floods left a trail of death and destruction across large parts of south Asia yesterday. At least eight million people in eastern India, Bangladesh and Nepal have lost their homes and more than 300 have died as rivers swollen by the annual monsoon rains have burst their banks. Governments scrambled to provide shelter and food to the homeless as the death toll rose to 326 people drowned or killed by landslides or snakebites. "I have lost my house and all my belongings have been washed away by the river waters," said Pradip Burman, a farmer sitting on a highway near Guwahati city in north-east India and surrounded by flood waters on both sides. "I have lost my livelihood as well and I don’t know what to do any more." Some flights in south Asia were cancelled yesterday because of the heavy rains and trains were disrupted as river waters submerged tracks in many areas. Monsoon rains eased a little, but people were still marooned, some perched in trees as flood waters swirled around them and most rivers were still flowing above the danger mark. Hundreds of miles of roads and dozens of bridges have been washed away, affecting food supplies and pushing up prices. India has been the worst hit, with 197 people killed by floods since June. In India’s poorest state of Bihar, in the east, where at least 89 people have died, military officials said helicopter pilots found it difficult to reach those affected by the floods because water had covered roads, rail tracks and other navigational markers. A further 43 people have died in Assam, where more than 2.5 million have been marooned or lost their homes. In the past three weeks, heavy rains have also killed dozens in southern China and left many missing. |
| Posted by:Mark Espinola |