Dhaka  - Floods in northern and central Bangladesh displaced thousands of families Thursday as rescuers braced for another day of heavy rains, officials said.

A spokesperson for the Disaster Management Office said nearly 50,000 people were stranded on "floating" villages in inundated central Faridpur district.

At least three children drowned in the district as they tried to cross a river on a raft. Local officials earlier said eight people died in the floods.

The district administration mobilized an estimated 5,000 rescue workers and civilian volunteers to help evacuate nearly 12,000 desperate families who need to be moved to dry land.

In the northern city of Bogra floodwaters washed away a portion of a dam, submerging at least 10 villages in the region.

Driven by late monsoon downpours, Bangladesh's major rivers - the Ganges, Meghna and Brahmaputra - have been rising in an orchestrated manner.

The Water Development Board which conducts research on rivers in Bangladesh predicted this year's floods would not be as devastating as those of last year.

Despite the rising river levels the rains are not as heavy as those that hit Bangladesh at the close of the monsoon in 2007, according to Saiful Hossain, a research engineer working for the Board.

The Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre said the high waters in 15 districts, mostly located in the central region, could start receding this weekend. (dpa)