Millions hit by floods in India by Nina Ridge
Nearly 3 million people have been displaced over the past 6 days in some of the worst flooding in parts of India for many years.
Overnight, the army helped move a further 800,000 people in the Assam region of the country as continued heavy rain caused the Brahmaputra river to break its banks, inundating thousands of villages. The floodwaters swept away bridges, stretches of roads and rail tracks in the region, hampering access to rescue missions.
Many of the displaced people are now living in makeshift shelters in schools and offices and on raised embankments away from floodwaters. Food and medical support are now being supplied to the local inhabitants
Since the Indian monsoon began in June, around 2,530 people have lost their lives across the country. In the state of Assam alone, around 54 people have been killed with more than 8 million feeling the effects of the floods this summer.
Forecasters are predicting further outbreaks of heavy rain to come over the next few days across Assam and other parts of the flood stricken northeast of the country.
