150 dead in monsoon floods in northern India

NEW DELHI - More than 150 people have died so far while over 500,000 displaced in the monsoon floods which hit the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh a fortnight back, a senior official said Monday.

"Over 150 people have been killed in the floods even as the state's 10 rivers continue to flow above the danger mark, with some responsible for floods," the official said.

According to him, heavy rains are still lashing large parts of the state. Some 500,000 people have been displaced in the floods while a large number of cattle have died in the natural calamity which affected 15 districts of the state.

Local TV channels reported that the state government did little to help the affected people even though the authorities claimed otherwise.

"Relief work is on in all the affected areas," State Irrigation Minister Shivpal Singh Yadav told the media.

The floods in Uttar Pradesh came less than a month after monsoon floods swept through the northern state of Uttarakhand, killing thousands and washing away towns and bridges.