Two-thirds of Bangladesh under water as South Asia floods toll tops 1,200

Severe monsoon flooding spreads across India, Nepal and Bangladesh, leaving more than 1,200 people dead since the rains started.

There is an urgent need for rescue and relief services on the Indian subcontinent as severe monsoon flooding spreads across India, Nepal and Bangladesh, leaving more than 1,200 people dead since the rains started.

Key points:

• UN says 40 million people affected
• Building collapses in Mumbai as city floods
• Worst flooding in some parts of Bangladesh in nearly 30 years

Oxfam said its Bangladesh staff reported two-thirds of the country was under water and in some areas the flooding was the worst since 1988, creating an urgent demand for humanitarian supplies.

Widescale flooding in an arc stretching across the Himalayan foothills caused landslides and washed away tens of thousands of homes and vast swathes of farmland.

The UN said about 40 million had been affected.

Source: South Asia floods: Appeals for help as monsoon rains cause havoc in India, Nepal, Bangladesh – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)