Floods wreak havoc across South Asia

Hundreds of people have been killed and millions of others displaced by monsoon floods across South Asia.

Large swathes of land, from Pakistan to Myanmar, lie submerged under water, as torrential rains continue across the region. Nepal, Vietnam, Bangladesh and India have all been hit by the flooding.

On Thursday, Pakistani authorities said the nationwide death toll from flooding had risen to 169, as rescuers used helicopters and boats to move stranded residents to higher ground. The country's National Disaster Management Authority said the floods, which began in early July, have affected 900,000 people in 2,495 villages across Pakistan.

In neighbouring India, more 20 people were killed and over 100 injured on Wednesday when two express trains were partially swept off a flooded bridge over a river in central India. Government said that heavy monsoon rains over the past month have killed at least 192 people across the country, in flooding, landslides and building collapses in recent days. The damage has extended from central India to the northeastern states of Manipur and Assam.

Myanmar has been particularly affected by this year's monsoon. The UN estimates that some 259,000 people have been affected across the country.

Thousands of people have been left homeless and have lost the crops. Many areas are still cut off leaving thousands without aid.

"The heaviest affected areas are among the poorest states in Myanmar, a country where nearly 70 percent of people live close to the $2-per-day poverty threshold, and children make up 34 per cent of the population," Shalini Bahuguna, from UNICEF, said.

Officials say dozens have been killed due to the flooding. Myanmar's President Thein Sein has urged people to leave the low-lying southern delta region as more rain is expected in the area. [Soe Zeya Tun/Reuters]

The Rakhine State in western Myanmar has been particularly devastated by the floods. [Khin Maung Win/AP]

Myanmar's president declared four regions of the country as disaster zones on July 31. [Lynn Bo Bo/EPA]

In India's West Bengal, hundreds of thousands of people have been moved to relief camps as a result of the floods. [Rupak De Chowdhuri/Reuters]

Many parts of the Indian city of Kolkata in West Bengal, were flooded after water from the Ganges river rose following the rains. [Bikas Das/AP]

Indian authorities say it could be days before the true extent of the disaster emerges. (AP Photo/Bikas Das)

Pakistan's National Disaster Management Authority said at least 700,000 people have been affected by the torrential rains. [Waqar Hussein/EPA]

Pakistan's government said most of the flood-related deaths were reported in the country's northwest province where 79 people have been killed. [Fayaz Aziz/Reuters]

Every year, floods triggered by monsoon rains kill scores of people in Pakistan. [Khuram Parvez/Reuters]

Officials say dozens have been killed due to the flooding. Myanmar's President Thein Sein has urged people to leave the low-lying southern delta region as more rain is expected in the area. [Soe Zeya Tun/Reuters]

The Rakhine State in western Myanmar has been particularly devastated by the floods. [Khin Maung Win/AP]

Myanmar's president declared four regions of the country as disaster zones on July 31. [Lynn Bo Bo/EPA]

In India's West Bengal, hundreds of thousands of people have been moved to relief camps as a result of the floods. [Rupak De Chowdhuri/Reuters]

Many parts of the Indian city of Kolkata in West Bengal, were flooded after water from the Ganges river rose following the rains. [Bikas Das/AP]

Indian authorities say it could be days before the true extent of the disaster emerges. (AP Photo/Bikas Das)

Pakistan's National Disaster Management Authority said at least 700,000 people have been affected by the torrential rains. [Waqar Hussein/EPA]

Pakistan's government said most of the flood-related deaths were reported in the country's northwest province where 79 people have been killed. [Fayaz Aziz/Reuters]