Deadly floods hit South Asian states

At least 245 people are now known to have been killed in the flooding in South Asia.

Over half of those who died were in Nepal, where the torrential rain also triggered a number of landslides.

On Wednesday the government said that this was the worst such weather disaster to hit Nepal in nearly a decade.

Security forces helped rescue people marooned on rooftops, while air force helicopters were dropping food and drinking water packets in the worst-hit southern districts.

In Bangladesh, 39 people have been killed by the flooding. The majority of those who died either drowned or were electrocuted in the water. 

Officials in the South Asian country estimate that more than 2.6 million people have been affected by the flooding in Bangladesh alone. 

In India, 46 people were killed in the northern state of Himachal Pradesh on Sunday when two buses were buried by a landslide in the Himalayan foothills, while another 21 people have died in the remote northeastern state of Assam.

Train services have been suspended between Dhaka and the five northern districts of Dinajpur, Lalmonirhat, Kurigram, Thakurgaon and Panchagarh after the railway tracks were submerged. 

Heavy downpours are common in the region at this time of year, and flooding is not unusual. However, this year the flooding has been far worse than usual.