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Massive floods kill several in India's Assam

July 26, 2016

Monsoon rains have forced over 100,000 people into relief camps and left many more stranded in their homes, with floods cutting off roads and telephone lines. At least seven people have been killed in northeast India.

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Indien Überschwemmung
Image: picture-alliance/Pacific Press/S. Talukdar

The floods affected over 1.2 million people, damaging houses, crops, and roads in the Indian state of Assam, officials said on Tuesday.

Soldiers were rescuing villagers from low-lying areas, with some of the civilians marooned on the roofs of buildings. State agencies were also on the scene to provide food and medical supplies. Seven people have died over the past week.

The rising water also covered parts Kaziranga National Park, a key rhino sanctuary and home to the largest one-horned rhino population. At least one of the animals drowned, forest officials said.

Indien Überschwemmung
Woman pulls a cart on a waterlogged road in CalcuttaImage: Reuters/R.De Chowdhuri

The Brahmaputra River and its tributaries were overflowing the embankments in multiple districts, collapsing houses and power pylons. Over 100,000 sought shelter in some 200 camps across the state.

Monsoon rains usually last from June to September, bringing floods to many parts of India. Authorities say that around 210 people have died in the current monsoon season across the country.

A heat wave earlier this year also killed hundreds on the subcontinent.

dj/kms (AP, dpa)