At least 100 people have been confirmed dead after monsoon rains devastated southern India, with Kerala and Karnataka states particularly hard hit.

Around 120,000 people were moved into hundreds of emergency relief camps in Kerala, a police spokesperson said, with another 161,000 filling camps in Karnataka, AFP reported. The government also ordered food be airlifted to stranded villages.

"There are around 80 places where flood and rains have triggered mudslides, which we cannot reach," Police spokesperson Pramod Kumar told AFP, adding that 200 people were stranded in one place.

Authorities closed Kerala's Cochin International Airport on Friday.

The rains also caused 20 landslides across the state. Authorities fear a number of people are trapped under the mud.

Rescue teams have been working to bring stranded individual to safety

Rescue work underway

Rescue teams from the disaster response force and other military forces were deployed to southern India for rescue and relief operations. "All arrangements have been put in place to deal with the disaster," Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Friday.

The states of Mahrashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Goa and Andhra Pradesh were also affected by flooding.

Officials warned that fuel shortages were widespread in districts that were cut off from larger cities. They also said that hundreds of villages in Maharashtra lacked drinking water and electricity.

Read more: Poor preparedness caused flood disaster in India

Monsoon rains are crucial for India's agrarian society, but also deadly

Devastation of local infrastructure

The flooding is expected to continue in the coming days as rains worsen. On Friday, Vijayan had warned that officials might have to open dam gates soon, in order to prevent the water from reaching dangerous levels.

States across India have been badly affected by floods in the last week. At least 38 people have been reported dead and 200,000 moved to safety in the western states of Goa, Maharashtra and Karnataka.

Experts have warned that deforestation and increasing urbanization were at fault for the rising waters, as well as bad management of dams across India.

Monsoons: Necessary, but dangerous

Seasonal monsoon rains lasting from June to September are essential for agricultural production in India, delivering 70% of the country's rainfall and refilling water resevoirs. However, they kill hundreds of people every year and cause widespread destruction.

Floods hit Kerala in 2018. More than 200 people were killed in the disaster last August, which affected over 5 million Indians.

India's Kerala state witnesses worst floods in century Coming to the rescue A man rescues a drowning man as monsoon rains cause flash floods and landslides in the southern Indian state of Kerala. More than 200,000 people have been forced to take shelter in relief camps.

India's Kerala state witnesses worst floods in century Flooded streets Witnesses say that looking down on towns in flooded Kerala is like looking down on a sea dotted with houses and cars in muddy flood waters. Rescue teams, including military personnel, have stepped up efforts to evacuate thousands of people trapped by the waters.

India's Kerala state witnesses worst floods in century Floodgates opened People are being evacuated after authorities opened the gates of Idamalayar, Cheruthoni and Mullaperiyar dams to prevent potentially disastrous breaches. Authorities have taken the unprecedented step of opening the floodgates of 80 water reservoirs so far.

India's Kerala state witnesses worst floods in century Massive rescue operation Hundreds of troops have led a desperate operation to rescue families trapped by rising floods. Helicopters have been used to airlift stranded victims from rooftops and to drop food and water packages in the worst-affected areas.

India's Kerala state witnesses worst floods in century Landslides follow the rain Heavy rains over the past eight days triggered flooding, landslides and home and bridge collapses, severely disrupting air and train services in Kerala state, a popular tourist destination. Landslides have also contributed to the death toll.

India's Kerala state witnesses worst floods in century Monsoon fury Monsoon rains kill hundreds of people every year in India. The season runs from June to September. Kerala has been hit with 37 percent more rainfall than normal since the beginning of this monsoon, the Meteorological Department said.

India's Kerala state witnesses worst floods in century Brief respite from rains With heavy rains stopping after a week, rescuers moved quickly to take people marooned by floods to 1,500 state-run camps. With the weather department expecting rains to continue into the weekend, the state remains on high alert.



jns/msh (Reuters, AFP)

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