Landslides and flooding kill 25 in India

DEHRADUN, India – The death toll from landslides and flooding in northern India has risen to 25 after rescuers found more bodies buried under debris, officials said Saturday.

At least dozens more are missing after torrential rains triggered landslides and floods in the Himalayan states of Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh.

Some 15 people have lost their lives so far in Uttarakhand and at least 10 were reported dead in the remote Arunachal Pradesh state.

“We have recovered 15 bodies so far. The rescue operations are on to find those still missing,” senior disaster control officer in Uttarakhand, Piyoosh Rautela, told Agence France-Presse.

Television images showed muddy, swirling floodwaters gushing through the area, while giant boulders and rocks blocked part of a national highway.

In Arunachal, a nine-month old baby and a 10-year-old were among those killed after debris barrelled down hilly slopes into populated areas, the Press Trust of India news agency said, quoting police.

Hundreds die every year in floods and landslides during the monsoon season in South Asia.

In 2013, nearly 6,000 pilgrims, tourists and others were killed by floods and landslides caused by early monsoon rains in Uttarakhand, destroying scores of villages and towns. – Rappler.com