Death toll in flood rises to 70 in eastern Indian state

The death toll from flood in the eastern Indian state of West Bengal has topped 70, while over 3.6 million people were affected by the disaster, local media reported Tuesday.

State chief minister Mamata Banerjee has blamed the release of water from barrages for the worsening flood situation in her state, which has come under torrential rains over the past week, said Indo-Asian News Service.

Most of the deaths were caused by electrocution, drowning, snake bites, lightening and wall collapse, said the report.

The government has set up more than 2,000 shelters to the people made homeless by flood or driven out of their homes by the water.

The government is also providing relief materials to the flood victims, while giving 400,000 rupees (625 U.S. dollars) to each of the families of the dead in the flood.

Officials said nearly 56,000 houses were destroyed in the flood along with more than half a million hectares of crops.

The Indian army is coordinating the relief efforts in consultation with the local administration, sending boats and flood relief goods while providing immediate medical assistance to the injured and sick.

The meteorological office has forecast heavy rainfall in some places of the state in the coming days, but the flood situation is expected to be lessened from Tuesday in most of the submerged areas, according to government officials.