Dhaka, June 12 -- Rain clouds over Bangladesh have cooled large swathes, easing the grip of the extended heatwave.

The Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) forecasts a gradual increase in both the frequency and coverage of rainfall from Thursday.

On Wednesday, heat conditions eased significantly, with only 25 districts under mild heatwave alerts, down from 49 the day before.

Meteorologist Shahinul Islam told bdnews24.com, "Rainfall will gradually expand in both area and volume. The intensity of the heatwave will also continue to decrease."

The forecaster's regular bulletin noted that mild heatwaves were affecting Tangail, Mymensingh, Moulvibazar, Feni, Brahmanbaria, Bagerhat, Jashore, Kushtia, and Chuadanga districts, along with...