42 killed by monsoon flooding in India

By Abdul Gani

GUWAHATI, India (AA) – Days of monsoon flooding has killed at least 42 people in eastern and northeastern India, local media reported Friday.

At least 22 people have died in Bihar state, according to the Press Trust of India (PTI) news agency, and another 20 in Assam.

Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) said more than 229,000 people have been moved to safer places and temporary relief camps.

In the state's Kaziranga national park, famous for its one-horned rhino, there have also been worries about the safety of wildlife after almost 80 percent of the area was inundated.

“We are trying our best so that the animals do not get killed by the miscreants when they run for higher places or are swept away by the flood water. Our workers have rescued several hog deer and Rhino calves,” said Divisional Forest Officer Suvasish Das in a statement.

Nine teams from India's National Disaster Response Force have been deployed, reported PTI, and 15,000 packets of dry food distributed in flood-affected areas.