Floods Spurred By Heavy Monsoon Rains Washes Homes, Trigger Landslides in India, More Than 50 Feared Dead

At least more than 50 people in northern India are feared dead after their homes were swept away by ravaging floods brought about by incessant heavy monsoon rains over the past days. The worst hit were the states of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh.

The non-stop torrential rains made the River Ganges swollen, eventually eroding the soil underneath the homes situated there. Videos posted on the internet showed the actual houses falling into the river and then being swept away with the swift-moving current.

The rains have likewise triggered flash floods in the Ganga, Yamuna and their tributaries, sweeping away almost everything it touches, including bridges, roads and buildings.

Army and paramilitary troops continue to conduct rescue efforts to people who got stranded on the rooftops of their flooded homes.

"We are caught here as there is water everywhere. There is no way to go. Nobody has come here, even police haven't come here to check if anyone has drowned," local resident Ajay Singh was quoted by Sky News.

At least 50 people have been reported missing in Uttarakhand, while nine people have died in the tribal Kinnaur district in Himachal Pradesh due to landslides.

Meteorologists forecast the monsoon rains will prevail for another three days at the least.

Citing information from unidentified state officials, the Hindustan Times said the death toll has been placed as follows:

Rambada (13)

Gaurikund (2)

Harshil (1)

Vikas Nagar (4)

Dhanaulti (1)

Dehradun (3)

Chamoli (1)

Patal Ganga (1)

and three deaths in other places

Officials likewise revealed that more than 5,000 people were stranded in Uttarkashi, 1,000 in Joshimath, 10,000 in Govindghat, more than 10,000 in Badrinath and 6,000 in Ghaghria.

Flooding has been reported from Saharanpur, Bijnore, Muzaffarnagar, Gorakhpur, Siddharthanagar, Azamgarh, Lakhimpur Kheri, Ballia and Varanasi.