LOC20:10
17:10 GMT
NEW DELHI, Aug 2 (KUNA) -- Figures from North, West and East Indian states showed today that the death toll due to ongoing, sweeping floods caused by recent torrential rains, which exceeded 130 people, while lives of hundreds of thousands of people have been affected.
In the eastern state of West Bengal, the flood related deaths crossed 50 while more than hundred thousand people were given shelters in relief camps. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said earlier in an emergency meeting: "As many as 180,000 houses have been damaged and 12 districts are affected due to the flood-like situation. Some 966 relief camps are sheltering 119,000 people across the state."
In the western Indian state of Gujarat the death toll reached 53 people and hundreds of villages were inundated. "The death toll has reached 53 including 28 deaths in worth-hit Banaskantha district," a Gujarat emergency control room official told Indian news agency PTI.
In the north eastern state of Manipur, 21 people were killed in a landslide caused by the torrential rains. Local government authorities from Odisha said that five flood-related deaths were reported in the state. Though the weather situation improved in the state, rain water inflow from the neighboring state of West Bengal has cut off 10 villages in the state.
Other north Indian states including Rajasthan, Jharkhand and Kashmir are also affected by flood like situations due to the excessive monsoon rainfall, which disrupted communication and transport services in all these states.
The situation is bound to worsen as Indian Meteorological Department has predicted more rains in many of these states and the government is struggling to meet the increasing relief and rescue demands. (end)
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