UN ready to help flood-hit areas in India, Bangladesh

The United Nations is monitoring the flood situation in India and Bangladesh and is ready to provide assistance to these countries, where more than ten lakh people have been displaced due to heavy rains.

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said that nearly 30 people have died and ten lakh people have been displaced due to monsoon rains in north-eastern India.

In eastern Bangladesh, some 110 people have been killed in Chittagong and at least 40,000 people uprooted following three days of rain and flash floods, spokesperson for Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon Martin Nesirky said.

"The office is monitoring the situation in both countries and stands ready to support if the authorities request international assistance," Nesirky added.

Heavy floods have inundated more than 2,000 villages in northeastern India, destroying homes and leaving thousands of people stranded.

Nearly 23 of the 27 districts in Assam were affected due to the rising water of Brahmaputra and its tributaries in the first wave of flood this year.

The home ministry has deployed several teams of the National Disaster Response Force and other necessary equipment to carry out rescue and relief operations in the flood-hit districts of the state.

In neighbouring Bangladesh, massive landslides triggered by torrential rains killed hundreds of people and affected thousands of residents, officials said on Saturday.