Heavy rains have caused widespread flooding in parts of Bangladesh and India, leaving millions stranded and at least 57 dead, officials say.

In Bangladesh, about 2 million people have been marooned by the worst floods in the country’s north-east for nearly two decades.

At least 100 villages at Zakiganj were inundated after floodwater rushing from India’s north-east breached a major embankment on the Barak River, said Mosharraf Hossain, the chief government administrator of the Sylhet region.

“Some two million people have been stranded by floods so far,” he said on Saturday.

Many parts of Bangladesh and neighbouring regions in India are prone to flooding, and experts say climate change is increasing the likelihood of extreme weather events around the world.

Dozens of people were killed in India during the week in days of flooding, landslides and thunderstorms, according to local disaster management authorities. (AFP)