Floods kill more than 100 in India

In this July 30, 2015 file photo, a Hindu holy man gets into a boat after the hut where he lives was surrounded by flood waters of the River Ganges in Allahabad, India. The Ganges, one of India’s largest rivers is flooded following monsoon rains. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)

Heavy monsoon rains in India have killed more than 100 people in the past week, forcing thousands of people to take shelter in relief camps.

A cyclone struck the state of West Bengal, killing 48 people. More than 200,000 people have moved to relief camps.

India regularly witnesses severe floods during the monsoon season, during which the country receives 80% of its annual rainfall (between June and September). Wind and rain from Cyclone Komen added to damage in India in recent days.

In Myanmar, at least 27 people have died due to floods.

According to the Indian home ministry, nearly four million people in 10,000 villages have been affected by the floods in the Indian state of West Bengal, resulting in more than 200 medical teams using 120 boats to reach the flood-hit areas in an effort to prevent the outbreak of water-borne diseases.

Another 28 flood-related deaths have been reported from northern Indian state of Rajasthan. Rescue workers have evacuated nearly 10,000 people to higher ground there.

Around four million people from 14 districts in the western state of Gujarat, and more than 400,000 people in eastern state of Orissa have been affected by the floods after heavy rainfall in the past few days. Five deaths have also been reported in Orissa.

On Saturday, at least 20 people were reportedly killed after a landslide in the north-eastern state of Manipur entombed a whole village.

Meanwhile, continuous rain over several weeks has led to flooding and landslides in much of Myanmar.

The refugee camps in Rakhine near the nation’s capital Sitwe – which has been declared a disaster zone – have been damaged. According to the UN, 140,000 people are living in the camps, with most being Rohingya Muslims.