Monsoon floods leave over a thousand dead in South Asia

Across northern India, southern Nepal and northern Bangladesh millions of people have been affected by the worst floods in recent years.

This year's rainy season has caused widespread destruction, with the severe weather expected to continue.

In India millions of people have been affected by the floods in the states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Nearly half of Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous state, has been swamped by floods. In northwest India, 54 people died in landslides caused by heavy rain. Most of them died in a single incident that swept two buses off a mountainside.

In Bangladesh, more than 5.7 million people have been affected by monsoon flooding, with more than a third of the country being submerged. At least 134 people have died.

More than 10,000 hectares (25,000 acres) of crops have been washed away in Bangladesh while another 600,587 hectares of farmland were partially damaged. The country already lost about 1 million metric tons (1.1 million US tons) of rice in floods in April. The United Nations World Food Program warned that Bangladesh was now at risk of "devastating hunger."

In Nepal, 90,000 homes have been destroyed and 150 people have been killed. As well as floods, the rains triggered landslides that have hindered rescue efforts.

In Assam, conservationists are fearing the worst for the local wildlife. One Bengal tiger and 15 rare one-horned rhinos were found dead. There are fears that poachers could seek to capitalise on the exodus from Kaziranga National Park as animals seek higher ground.

Flood waters bring with them all sorts of problems. In Dhaka industrial chemicals have mixed with rain water bringing a rainbow of polluted floods. In remote regions, health workers have started sending mosquito repellent, bleaching powder and water purification tablets.