Bangladesh Tropical Storms Kill At Least 36, Injure Dozens

At least 36 people died and dozens were injured over the weekend in parts of Bangladesh when severe tropical storms swept through the country. The death toll is likely to rise as several people are believed to be missing in Bogra, the worst-affected district, according to local media reports.

“They died mostly after they were hit by falling trees or collapsed houses and walls,” Shafiqur Reza Biswas, a senior government official in the Bogra district, where at least 19 people were killed, told Agence-France Presse (AFP). Fatalities were reported from at least five other districts, including Dhaka, Rajshahi and Naogaon, according to a report by the Daily Star, a Bangladeshi newspaper.

The storms, which hit Bangladesh during early summer every year, have also uprooted trees, damaged electricity distribution lines and caused widespread damage to crops. Hundreds of homes, shops and schools located in the low-lying areas of the country have either been completely flattened or partially damaged, the Daily Star reported, citing senior government officials.

In Bogra, nearly 7,000 mud and tin-built houses were completely damaged by the storm, Mejbah Uddin Chowdhury, a government administrator in the district, told AFP.