Flooding and a Landslide Kill Dozens Amid India Monsoons

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/04/world/asia/monsoon-flooding-landslide-india.html

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NEW DELHI — At least 73 people have died in India since Friday amid flooding and a landslide linked to heavy rains in two states in the country’s east, disaster management officials said.

Thousands of people have taken refuge in relief camps and medical camps in West Bengal, the most severely affected state, said Arnab Chatterjee of the West Bengal Department of Disaster Management. Almost 700 emergency workers have been deployed across the affected areas, Mr. Chatterjee said

The crisis in West Bengal was complicated by the need to discharge water from reservoirs overwhelmed by the rain, said Surjeet Singh Guleria, deputy inspector general of operations at the National Disaster Response Force.

Farther east, in Manipur State, at least four people died and five were missing in a landslide caused by rain in Chandila district, Mr. Guleria said.

Floods in India occur frequently during the monsoon season, which runs roughly from June to September. In June, 41 people were killed after unexpected rain caused severe flooding in the western state of Gujarat.