Monsoon flooding kills nearly 600 in India

Flash floods and landslides triggered by a monsoon in northern India have killed nearly 600 people and left tens of thousands stranded or missing.

Forecasters said Saturday that heavy rainfall is expected to continue for days. Rescuers have been working to save more than 50,000 people stranded in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand, where raging waters have swept away entire villages.

Rescue workers say they have helped more than 30,000 people reach safety during the past five days. Some of those impacted by the flooding include pilgrims heading to a Hindi religious site and tourists, some of whom had to be rescued by helicopter.

India is accustomed to flooding from monsoon rains, but this year’s downpours arrived a week ahead of schedule, sending people scrambling for high ground as rivers spilled over their banks.

Early monsoon rains in India this year are believed to be the heaviest in 60 years.

The rainy season generally lasts from June to September, bringing rain which is critical to farming.

At least 560 are known to have been killed and thousands are missing. The death toll is expected to rise further.

On Friday, 40 bodies were recovered from the river Ganges in the temple town of Haridwar, a local police official said.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has described the situation there as “distressing” and announced a 10bn rupee ($170m) aid package for the state.

Google has opened up its person finder tool in Hindi and English to help trace missing people in Uttarakhand.

Source – The Times Of Earth and Agencies