Floods leave 254 people dead and millions stranded in South Asia

At least 254 people have died in Bangladesh, Nepal and India as rain swollen rivers burst their banks causing wide-spread flooding.

Floods have gripped a third of Bangladesh, where 74 people have been killed and nearly three million people left stranded in swamped villages.

Landslides killed 50 people on Wednesday night in three remote mountain villages in Nepal bringing the death toll there to 150, with another 100 missing.

In India, floods submerged about 1,000 villages in northeastern Assam state, where at least six people have been killed. In eastern Bihar, 24 people have been killed and 1 million people left homeless.

The Kosi River overflowed its banks on Thursday, submerging new villages in Bihar, as army helicopters dropped food packets to those stranded on rooftops or bits of high ground.

Most of Bangladesh's 250 rivers are continuing to rise and it will get worse in the next few days, the Flood Forecasting and Warning Center said.