• Heavy rains trigger floods in Bangladesh, affecting 4.5 million people.
• Bangladesh ranks among the most vulnerable countries to disasters and climate change.
• Nearly 190,000 people have been moved to emergency shelters.

The disaster management and relief ministry reported on Friday that heavy rains have triggered floods in Bangladesh, killing at least 13 people and affecting 4.5 million.

The South Asian nation of 170 million people, crisscrossed by hundreds of rivers, has frequently experienced floods in recent decades. According to the Global Climate Risk Index, it ranks among the most vulnerable countries to disasters and climate change.

On Friday, the disaster ministry issued a bulletin stating: “Floods have affected 4.5 million people and killed 13 across the country.” The bulletin also reported that nearly 190,000 people have been moved to emergency relief shelters. The flooding impacted 11 of the country’s 64 districts, according to the bulletin.

Feni, located about 100 kilometers (60 miles) northwest of Chittagong, was the hardest hit.

“It’s a catastrophic situation here,” rescue volunteer Zahed Hossain Bhuiya, 35, told AFP in Feni. “We are trying to rescue as many people as we can.”

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