50 dead in floods, landslides in India

Dozens of people have been killed and many are feared dead in flash floods and landslides triggered by intense monsoon rains in northern and eastern India over the past three days. News agency Reuters reported that at least 50 people have died in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Odisha over the last three days.

The rains lashed hundreds of villages, swept away mud houses, flooded roads and destroyed bridges in some parts of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. The Indian Meteorological Department predicted that heavy to very heavy rain would continue to fall in the region for the next two days.

Five people who went missing after heavy rains triggered flash floods and landslides in Himachal Pradesh remained untraceable on Sunday, a senior official told news agency PTI.

As many as 22 people were killed and 12 injured in rain-related incidents on Saturday in the state. The maximum damage was reported from Mandi, Kangra and Chamba districts.

In Himachal Pradesh, over the last three days killed at least 36 people. Hundreds were taking shelter in relief camps after being displaced from their flooded homes.

In Uttarakhand, a series of cloudburst on Saturday left four dead and 13 went missing as rivers breached banks and washed away some houses. Rescue teams were evacuating the stranded.

In Odisha, at least six people were dead amid ongoing torrential rains. Floods have affected nearly 8 lakh people and displaced thousands from their homes in Odisha, with rains disrupting electricity and water supply, and damaging road infrastructure. The state has evacuated 120,000 people so far from the affected areas.

The water levels in all the rivers located in north Odisha are in spate due to heavy rainfall induced by a deep depression over the Bay of Bengal, and subsequent flood water release from Jharkhand through the Galudih barrage.

In Jharkhand's Ramgarh district, five people had been swept away by the waters of the swollen Nalkari river on Saturday. Four bodies have been recovered so far, said Madhvi Mishra, a district official in Ramgarh.