The number of people affected by the Assam floods rose to 52 lakh today, with as many as 1.5 lakh being moved to relief centres amid a red alert issued by the government. Five more died today, taking the total number of people killed in the floods to 20, even as the Indian Army was called in to assist in rescue operations.
Flash floods caused by heavy rains in catchment areas of Nepal have ravaged a dozen districts of Bihar so far, claiming 78 lives and affecting 55 lakh people, the state's disaster management department said on Thursday.
A tiger escaped from the Kaziranga National Park in flood-ravaged Assam and stretched out on a shophouse bed Thursday, startling residents and shining a spotlight on the plight of animals caught up in the deluge.
Chest-deep in brown, flowing monsoon water and holding bags of clothes and utensils above their heads, residents in Bihar are hungry and in despair.
A 24-year-old woman in flood-hit Assam gave birth to a baby boy in a boat on Monday and named him Krishnaafter the Hindu Godwhowas also believed to have been born during massive floods.
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday expressed solidarity with flood victims in the north and north-eastern states.