Dhaka (dpa) - At least three children drowned in southern Bangladesh and more than 12,000 people have been trapped by floodwaters, officials said Sunday.

Heavy rains caused the Brahmaputra River to breach its banks and cut nearly 200 metres of railroad tracks, suspending train links in the area.

Two of the children drowned in a flooded fish farm on their way to school in the river port of Chandpur, and another girl died in a lake in southern Jamalpur district, officials said. (dpa)