Around 180 people have been killed, mostly by electrocution, collapsing buildings and drowning.
NEW DELHI (AlertNet) - Floods triggered by heavy rains in southern India have killed around 180 people and forced tens of thousands to seek refuge in government relief camps, officials and aid workers said on Monday.
The northeast monsoon - which hits southern parts of the country from October to December - has been heavier than normal this year, forcing authorities to release large volumes of water from reservoirs in the state of Tamil Nadu.
Officials say the latest heavy rains, which started on Saturday night, have so far killed around 12 people - taking the death toll to 181. Most of the deaths have been caused by electrocution, buildings collapsing and drowning.
"Tens of thousands of people have been uprooted, as rains have damaged over 29,000 mud-and-thatch houses across the state and the displaced have been put up in make-shift shelters," said
an official from the revenue department, which is assessing damages.
FISHERMEN WARNED
Aid workers say 11 of Tamil Nadu's 32 districts have been affected by the flooding, particularly the north coastal districts of Chennai, Cuddalore, Nagapattinam, Thanjavur, Thiruvarur and Villupuram.
The floods have affected mainly farming communities along the coast and aid workers say preliminary assessments indicate agricultural losses are significant.
"The losses of farmers appears to be very high and initial estimates suggest that at least 150,000 hectares of standing crops such as rice paddy has been destroyed," said Joseph Sahayam, south India emergency officer for the Churches Auxiliary for Social Action (CASA).
Infrastructure such as roads and power lines have also been hit. Schools and colleges in the flood-hit areas have been closed and fishermen have also be warned not to venture out to sea.
The Indian metrological department is forecasting that the rains - caused by a depression in the Bay of Bengal - will continue in the next 24 hours and will likely move northwest towards the neighbouring state of Andhra Pradesh.
(Additional reporting by S. Murari in Chennai)
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