By Xinhua
Dhaka : The death toll from flood-related incidents like drowning, waterborne diseases and snakebites in Bangladesh rose to 728 till Tuesday morning, official sources said.
A handout by the information ministry said over 16 million people of around 2.3 million families in 39 out of the country’s 64 districts have been hit by the flooding since July 30. Of the affected people, over 23,357 took refuge in 90 shelters.
The handout said the ravaging floods damaged nearly 1 million houses and over 8,000 educational institutions either completely or partially.
Besides, crops on over 1.54 million acres (about 622,000 hectares) and some 28,000 km of roads were completely or partially damaged by swirling floodwaters.
Meanwhile, the flood situation improved remarkably in the affected districts as all the rivers, barring three, are flowing below their danger marks and floodwaters continue to recede, private news agency UNB reported.
The Flood Forecasting and Warning Center in its bulletin Tuesday said the Padma river, one of the country’s three major rivers, was flowing above its danger level at two points in the morning.