A lightning strike killed 17 people Saturday in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar, according to its leader, Nitis Kumar. In Meghalaya state, which borders Bangladesh to the south, at least 24 people have been killed since June 9 and three are missing, according to R. Lyngdoh, a senior official at Meghalaya State Disaster Management Authority. More than 633,000 people have been affected by the floods and the state Disaster Management Authority will be carrying out air strikes on basic goods in some areas that have been cut off by road, Lyngdoh added. In neighboring Assam, at least nine people were killed and eight were missing since Sunday afternoon, according to the state-run Disaster Management Authority, which operates 1,147 relief camps housing 186,424 displaced people. In Bangladesh, floods have flooded roads and highways and isolated entire neighborhoods from the rest of the country. Enamur Rahman, the country’s deputy minister for disaster management, told CNN on Sunday that at least two people had been killed in the floods. However, news agency reports said the toll was much higher, with Reuters reporting 25 deaths over the weekend, citing local officials. The lack of telecommunications services has made it difficult to fully assess the extent of the damage, especially in the affected areas of Sylhet and Sunamganj, Rahman said. About 90% of the Sunamganj were submarine and almost completely isolated from the rest of Bangladesh on Sunday, he added. The Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) news agency reported on Saturday that nearly six million people had been displaced by the floods. Officials say millions are being provided with food and shelter in makeshift camps. “We had a hard time communicating with some areas, but now we are in contact with everyone. Our main issue right now is the lack of drinking water and food, but we are arranging (some) and trying to transport it using helicopters. said Muhammad Mosharrof Hossain, a senior official in Bangladesh’s Sylhet district, one of the worst-hit areas. About 300,000 people are currently in shelters as of Monday, Hossain added.
