Tropical rains pummelled the lush rice terraces across Bangladesh leaving at least ten people dead in the past two days, while raging winds flattened homes and knocked over trees and power lines, officials said Friday. The highest number of casualties occurred on the outskirts of the capital Dhaka where late night storms wrecked scores of slum dwellings in the Malibagh area, according to dpa. The rainstorms also left about 500 families homeless in a shanty town near Dhaka. Scores were injured in the squalls. Fire brigade rescuers said five bodies were found amid the ruins of a building under construction that collapsed in the torrents. Four people drowned in the river Tetulia as a fishing boat with about 20 on board was caught in the winds in southern Barisal district, local police said. Another person was killed as a tree fell on a group of people sheltering from the thunder showers. The storms also stranded thousands at ferry stations which stopped operation due to the inclement weather. About a dozen northwesterly storms are expected within the month heralding the upcoming monsoon season, said Samarendro Karmakar, director of the country's weather office. -- SPA
