The ongoing flood in the northwest has so far claimed at least 22 lives in Sylhet and Netrakona, with the death toll expected to go up as information from remote areas is coming to the authorities belatedly.

"Due to the power cut-off and mobile network issues, we were not getting any news of fatalities before. Now, the information is reaching us, so the death toll might be higher," said Himangshu Lal Roy, director of Sylhet Divisional Health Office.

The deaths are due to drowning, landslides, electrocution and snake bites.

So far, the authorities were informed of 20 deaths and heard the news of two more dead bodies found in Jaintiapur, Roy said.

Of the 20 deaths related to the flood situation, 12 are from Sylhet, five from Sunamganj and three from Moulvibazar.

Yesterday, the dead bodies of Nazmum Nesa and her son Abdur Rahman were recovered by Police from Sylhet's Jaintiapur upazila. They went missing after being washed away by the strong current on floodwater on Friday.

Over in Sylhet, Biplob Mia, a resident of Ujan Tahirpur village, who was injured on Monday while trying to collect relief dropped from an Air Force helicopter died yesterday at Jalalabad Ragib-Rabeya Medical College and Hospital in Sylhet.

In Netrokona, a 32-year-old woman named Julekha Begum drowned as a boat sank in floodwater at Jurail village in Kendua upazila of Netrokona district on Tuesday.

Julekha, her 7-year-old daughter Tanjina, sister-in-law Nazmunnahar and two others were going to Jurail Haor by a small boat yesterday morning.

Tanjina fell into the water from the boat. Julekha managed to save her but she drowned in the floodwater, said Mir Mahbubur Rahman, inspector of Kendua police station.