Flood, landslide: 30 killed in northern India

At least 30 people were killed and ten reported missing till yesterday as unabated torrential rains lashed northern part of India triggering widespread flood and landslides.

Authorities issued flood alerts in Delhi, Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh as the surging water levels of several rivers, including the Yamuna, threatened to breach the danger marks.

Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand were the worst-hit states as heavy rains continued, leaving hundreds of people stranded after the rainfall set off landslides, cut off road links and led to shutting down of hydropower projects and release of excess water from dams in the region.

Rain-related incidents claimed at least 23 lives in Himachal Pradesh, four in Uttarakhand while in a Punjab's village, three members of a family were killed when the roof of their house collapsed, police said.

Delhi government on Sunday sounded a flood alert for the national capital and asked people living in low-lying areas to move to safer places as the water level in the Yamuna is expected to cross the danger mark (205.33 metres), officials said. The Yamuna was flowing at 203.37m on Sunday evening and is expected to touch 207m on Monday as 828,000 cusecs water was released from a barrage in neighbouring Haryana, an official said.

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) in Himachal Pradesh said on Sunday that the state received the highest ever rainfall for a 24-hour period, since records began almost 70 years ago.

in Uttarakhand, at least 10 people were missing as heavy rains damaged 15 houses in the state's Uttarkashi district and four persons died and 20 others were rescued elsewhere, according to the state's disaster management officials said.

In Uttar Pradesh, several rivers, including Ganga, Yamuna and Ghaghra, are in spate. The Ganga is flowing above the danger mark in at least four districts.

Heavy rains remained unabated in Haryana and Punjab also on Sunday causing floods in some parts.

In Kerala, ground-penetrating radars were pressed into service on Sunday to locate bodies at in Kerala's Wayanad district where massive landslides buried two villages.

A statewide calamity report on Sunday said 121 people have lost their lives in Kerala since August 8.

As of August 15, a total of 1,058 persons have died due to rain-related incidents during monsoon season that started on June 1 with one-fourth of the deaths reported from Maharashtra.