Dhaka

- Rising rivers driven by late monsoon storms in northern Bangladesh Tuesday flooded hundreds of homes and forced the rescue of thousands of people stranded in muddy villages, officials said.

The swollen Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers breached their banks, inundating farmlands in the 16 stricken districts in the past two days, the Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre said.

The rains have been blamed for at least eight deaths in mudslides since the weekend.

Nearly 20,000 people from the low-lying areas in Kurigram and Gaibandha districts were given shelter in schools and community centres. Another 100,000 people were waiting to be rescued, officials said. (dpa)