Three children drowned in the raging floodwaters in Gaibandha and Bogra and attendant diarrhoea claimed the life of a young boy in Lalmonirhat on Monday and yesterday.

Lightning killed another two in Lalmonirhat and snakebite killed one in Gaibandha yesterday. Two had died of diarrhoea earlier.

Land communications between the southwestern and the eastern region were cut off as the Maowa ferry terminal was closed yesterday due to rise in waters in the Padma.

Earlier on Monday, two ferry terminals in Daulatdia and Paturia were shut down, while the Arial Kha terminal also faced closure. The terminals link the southwestern region with Dhaka and other eastern regions.

Gushing floodwaters severely damaged thousands of homes, schools, roads and dams, making people homeless and cutting off their safe drinking water line.

The Flood Forecasting and Warning Center (FFWC) of the Water Development Board (WDB) forecast worse situations in Pabna, Tangail, Manikganj, Munshiganj, Narsingdi, Narayanganj, Kishoreganj, Rajbari and Madaripur districts.

"So far 751 unions in 123 upazila of 23 districts have been fully or partially affected by the flooding, which hit about 31,27,662 people of 6,23,516 families," said Disaster Management and Relief Secretary BMM Mozaharul Haq.

Citing an official report, he said about 32,000 dwelling houses were completely damaged and information of such damage was pouring in from the affected zones every day.

The FFWC forecast said the situation in the district of Naogaon was likely to deteriorate. The low-lying areas in Dhaka, Faridpur and Sariatpur districts were in for worse hits.

The districts of Kurigram, Panchagarh, Nilphamari, Lalmonirhat and Rangpur are likely to get relief with the gradual recession of floodwaters, it added.

Our roving correspondent from Sirajganj adds: Sixty-four of 83 unions in Sirajganj were submerged and all the 11 unions in Kazipur upazila were the worst affected.

Swirling floodwaters affected about two lakh people, making 2,000 families homeless.

Our Lalmonirhat correspondent adds: An eight-year-old boy died of diarrhoea and hundreds of others contracted the disease in the district.

Badar Ali, eight, son of one Khaleque Sarker, died at Barogharia villagea in Aditmari upazila on Monday.

Three primary schools in Goddimari, Daiua Bari and Rajpur villages have been carried away by floodwaters.

Gushing waters also washed away a high school, two mosques, four madrassahs and a temple in four unions, WDB officials said.

Our Pabna Correspondent adds: Water levels in the Padma and Jamuna rose alarmingly in the last 24 hours, inundating nearly 60 per cent area of Bera upazila and marooning over 60,000 people.

Our Gaibandha correspondent says two children drowned in floodwaters in Shaghata upazila and another from snakebite.

Meanwhile, the Karotoa swelled further by 24 centimetres engulfing fresh areas under Gobindagnaj upazila.

Rushing waters damaged over half a kilometre embankment along the Korotoa river in Nurullaher beel area under Gobindaganj. The WDB is constructing a ring embankment on an emergency basis.

Our Bogra correspondent adds, a two-year-old child died in Shariakandi upazila of the district.

The district administration said about 1.68 lakh families in 29 unions of three upazilas were affected because of the flooding.