Torrential rains and rising rivers across northeast India and neighboring Bangladesh have killed at least nine people, affecting over three million, disaster officials reported on Thursday. Annual monsoon rains often cause widespread destruction, but experts attribute an increase in extreme weather events to climate change.
In India’s northeastern state of Assam, disaster authorities reported that eight people had died in the past day, bringing the death toll from the ongoing downpours since mid-May to 46. Over 1.6 million people in approximately 2,800 villages have been affected as the floods submerged large areas.
Assam’s Chief Minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma, attributed the severe flooding to rain in the upstream state of Arunachal Pradesh, emphasizing that no human intervention could prevent it.
In Bangladesh, downstream from India, the disaster management agency reported that the floods had impacted around 1.8 million people and warned that water levels would rise over the next three days. A 21-year-old man died after being swept away by surging waters while fishing.
