US announces Tk 23m emergency relief for Bangladesh as floods claim 36 lives

The US has announced Tk 23 million ($244,680) as emergency funding in response to record-level rainfall and catastrophic flooding which claimed the lives of at least 36 people in three divisions, including the areas of northern Bangladesh.

“United States is providing over 2.3 crore Bangladesh taka of emergency funding through the US Agency for International Development (USAID) to deliver critical relief to families and communities hit hardest by this crisis,” said a US embassy statement on Wednesday.

“Some of these areas have not seen floodwaters like this for over 120 years.  The United States continues to stand by the government and the people of Bangladesh during these challenging times and will support our partners on the ground to deliver crucial assistance to people in areas most affected by the deluge,” said US Embassy Chargé d’Affaires Helen LaFave.

Meanwhile, at least 36 people have died in flood-hit areas of the country due to diarrhoea, snake bites, drowning, landslides and other injuries, according to the Health Emergency Operation Center & Control Room on Tuesday.

Among the deceased, 18 died in Sylhet division, 15 in Mymensingh division and 3 in Rangpur.

According to the report, 2,934 people have been affected by various water-borne diseases due to floods in four parts of the country from June 18 to 20. Of these, 2,179 were infected with diarrhoea, including 315 in the last 24 hours.

61 out of 185 upazilas in the four flood-hit divisions have been inundated, the report says.

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