Up to 165 people are feared to have died and nearly a million others have been forced to leave their homes following floods in southern India.

But the total number of dead is likely to increase as rescue workers search through debris after rivers flooded and buildings collapsed due to torrential monsoon rains.

Image: A woman carries her belongings past potholes created by heavy rains in a village in Maharashtra

State officials said on Sunday at least 147 people had died, but some reports put the number at 165.

In Kerala, on India's southwestern coastline, at least 76 people have died, officials said, following four days of continuous rainfall, with landslides in several places.

Rescue operations are continuing in parts of the state and more than 200,000 people have been moved to relief camps.


Close to 50 people are still missing, the Financial Express reported.

An orange alert has been issued for six districts, meaning people where bad weather is expected must be prepared for disruption.

At least 12 people are reported to have died in Wayanad in the north of the state while seven are still missing.

There was a large landslide at nearby Puthumala.

#WATCH A crocodile lands on roof of a house in flood-affected Raybag taluk in Belgaum. #Karnataka (11.08.19) pic.twitter.com/wXbRRrx9kF — ANI (@ANI) August 12, 2019

More than 35,000 people have moved to over 200 relief camps in the area, officials said.

At least 40 people have died in Karnataka, to the north, where almost 600,000 have fled their homes, authorities said, many staying in more than 1,000 temporary relief camps.

Image: Rescue workers search for survivors after an overhead water tank collapsed due to heavy rains in Ahmedabad, kiling at least three people

"Since 1 August 2019, 40 people have lost their lives, 14 people missing, 581,702 people evacuated, 1168 number of relief camps operational and 17 districts and 2028 villages affected," the state's disaster monitoring centre, the KSNDMC said.

Home minister Amit Shah toured parts of the flood-hit area by helicopter with Karnataka's Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, who said relatives of victims would be entitled to 500,000 rupees (£5,800).

Image: A search operation is under way after an overhead water tank collapsed due to heavy rains in Ahmedabad

At least 35 people have died in Maharashtra, north of Karnataka, where floodwaters were reported to have receded in the Krishna River Basin on Monday.

A large crocodile was seen on the roof of a house in Belgaum, one of the worst-affected areas in Karnataka.

The reptile, estimated to be around 12ft (3.6m) long, escaped before forest officials could rescue it, ANI reported.

"The crocodile later slipped into the water and disappeared in an hour as curious crowds approached it and made noise from all around," said an official.