Intense monsoon rains have resulted in landslides in Bangladesh and India, causing at least 15 fatalities, multiple injuries, and the displacement of millions, as reported by authorities.

Early on Wednesday, eight Rohingya Muslims were among those who perished in mudslides, stated Mohammad Shamsud Douza, a senior Bangladeshi official overseeing refugee matters. This catastrophe is part of a string of incidents caused by extreme weather in South Asia and globally, with recent months experiencing heavy rains and heatwaves leading to numerous deaths and humanitarian issues.

The Rohingya refugees, who died due to landslides in southern Bangladesh, reside in densely populated camps in Cox’s Bazar, the largest refugee settlement worldwide. These camps house over one million Rohingya who fled a military crackdown in Myanmar in 2017.

Amir Jafar, a police official responsible for camp security, mentioned that hundreds had been evacuated from high-risk zones.

The refugees often dwell in makeshift shelters made from bamboo and plastic on steep, bare slopes.

The rainstorms also disrupted life in northeastern Bangladesh.

“Around 700,000 individuals in Sylhet district and another 500,000 in adjacent Sunamganj district have been marooned by flash floods and torrential rains,” said Abu Ahmed Siddique, the commissioner of Sylhet district, as per the AFP news agency.

The Bangladesh weather bureau forecasts that the heavy rain will persist over the coming days.

With a population of approximately 170 million, Bangladesh ranks as one of the most disaster-prone and climate-vulnerable countries globally, based on the Global Climate Risk Index.

Across the border in India’s Assam state, at least six people died in landslides and floods on Tuesday night.

“A landslide engulfed a woman and her three daughters alive,” reported Siju Das, a state disaster management official to Reuters.

“Their house, situated on a slope, collapsed around midnight,” he added, noting that the bodies were recovered after a three-hour rescue operation.

The adverse weather has affected more than 160,000 people in Assam, causing water levels in the Kopili river, a major Brahmaputra tributary, to rise above the danger mark.

Since late May, over 30 people in Assam have lost their lives to floods and landslides due to relentless rains, as per state officials.

Simultaneously, southern regions are enduring a severe heatwave.

On Tuesday, New Delhi experienced its hottest night in six years, with local hospitals reporting at least five heatstroke deaths this week, according to the Times of India.