/ 15 September 2012

Floods and mudslides in India leave 35 dead and many more missing

A youth holds an umbrella as he stands in a residential area that was partly submerged due to the overflowing of the Anasagar Lake after heavy monsoon rains in Ajmer
A youth holds an umbrella as he stands in a residential area that was partly submerged due to the overflowing of the Anasagar Lake after heavy monsoon rains in Ajmer

Heavy rain in northern India has left at least 35 people dead and 26 missing, officials said Saturday.

Landslides and floods affected more than 50 villages in Uttarkhand state's Rudraprayag district, an official at the state's Disaster Mitigation and Management Centre control room in Dehra Dun said.

More bodies were discovered from the affected villages Saturday taking the toll to 35, the official said.

At least 11 of 15 people admitted to local hospitals were in critical condition. More than 400 people had taken shelter at a relief camp.

Roads had been cut by landslides and some communication and power lines had snapped. Search and rescue operations were continuing.

More than 580 people have died so far in incidents brought on by heavy monsoon rains across the country since June 1, according to the federal Home Ministry. – Sapa-DPA.