More than seven million people in Bangladesh are in "
desperate
" need of aid and shelter following deadly monsoon floods earlier this month, the Red Cross warned on Tuesday.
Read alsoBangladesh: 3.5 million children lack drinking water after floods, according to the UN
At least 101 people died in the northeast of the country when rivers swelled to record levels, flooding rural villages, after some of the heaviest rains recorded in a century.
"
The extent of the devastation is so much greater
" than during previous floods, said Sanjeev Kafley of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
Around 7.2 million people are in "
desperate need of shelter and emergency supplies
in the most affected region of the city of Sylhet, the IFRC said in a statement.
The government has sent emergency humanitarian aid to the disaster victims, including food rations, said Nitai Dey Sarker, of the Bangladesh Disaster Management Authority.
Read alsoBangladesh: 2 million people isolated after floods
Once the water receded further, material for reconstruction was to follow.
But if the situation has improved in recent days in Bangladesh, in the Northeast, new floods are feared, the monsoon season just beginning.
“
We are still stuck in the flood shelters without being able to assess the damage yet
,” a peasant from Sylhet, Abdul Hakim, told AFP.
“
The water levels in the rivers are still rising and that is very worrying
,” he added.
According to the government, nearly 200,000 people have taken refuge in school buildings, closed to students, to accommodate those who have had to flee their homes.
