Toll over 250 as floods, monsoon rains pound South Asia

NEW DELHI: Children have been swept away by floodwaters and others killed in landslides caused by heavy monsoon rains across south Asia as the death toll passed 250 Wednesday, with authorities bracing for worse weather in some regions. The annual deluge is crucial to replenishing water supplies in the impoverished region, but the downpour from June to September often turns deadly. Across India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan, millions of residents have been affected and hundreds of thousands displaced, with homes and boats washed away. In flood-prone Bangladesh, which is criss-crossed by rivers, around one-third of the country is underwater and 59 people have died, officials said.