Heavy monsoon rains have killed more than 100 people in India in the past week and forced tens of thousands of people to take shelter in state-run relief camps, India’s home ministry has said.
A cyclone struck the worst-hit state of West Bengal, where 48 people have died and nearly 215,000 villagers have been taken to relief camps after heavy rains triggered flooding, the ministry statement said.
More than 200 medical teams using 120 boats have so far distributed more than 400,000 drinking water pouches in an effort to prevent the outbreak of water-borne diseases, according to authorities.
Heavy rains have also caused widespread flooding in Burma, where at least 27 people have died and four areas have been declared disaster zones. The UN has warned that the situation could get much worse.
Another 28 deaths were reported from Rajasthan in western India where rescue workers evacuated nearly 1,000 people to higher ground.
On Saturday, at least 20 people were swept away by a landslide that flattened up to 10 homes in Jourmol, a village in north-eastern Manipur state, a spokesman for the national disaster response force said on Sunday.
The annual monsoon season in India stretches from June until the end of September causing deaths and severe damage to homes and food crops.