Floods triggered by heavy rains and swollen river waters have engulfed vast areas in Bangladesh, killing at least 11 people and leaving two million marooned.
Three people died today when mudslides caused by rain buried their home in southern Chittagong area. Torrents carried away two children into a river near Cox's Bazar, 100 miles from Chittagong port city.
Officials said the suddenly worsening flood waters had already swamped hundreds of villages in 15 of Bangladesh's 64 administrative districts, mostly in the north and northeast.
The deluge washed away hundreds of houses, leaving thousands of families homeless. Crops were under water in all the affected districts but no estimate of losses was immediately available.
Schools were closed indefinitely in seriously affected northeastern Sylhet and northern Nilphamari districts.
Many families took shelter on boats, highways, schools and government buildings, witnesses said. They faced shortages of food and drinking water as relief agencies could not reach victims in remote areas.
In Sylhet, where six people died in the floods over the last two days, marooned people begged for food from media groups covering the flood.