More than 550 die in floods in India's monsoon season

At least 556 people have been killed in floods and other rain-related incidents across India since the monsoon season began on June 1, the government announced Thursday. The worst-affected states were Kerala and Karnataka in the south, Maharashtra and Gujarat in the west and the eastern state of West Bengal, according to a situation report from the Home Ministry. The situation in Bihar in the east and the hill state of Uttarakhand was also grim, the report added. More than 6.3 million people had been affected by the floods, and losses in property, crops and livestock were estimated at 5.1 billion rupees (112 million dollars). India''s meteorological department said this year''s monsoon rains were 26 per cent above normal in the week ending August 17. It forecast widespread rainfall across much of the country over the next 24 hours. India''s monsoon season - which lasts from June to the end of September - is crucial to crop production, as only 40 per cent of farmland is irrigated and the rest depends on seasonal rains. But the keenly-awaited monsoons also cause widespread destruction as overflowing rivers submerge villages and farmland. Most deaths are caused by drowning or collapsing houses and landslides brought on by heavy rains.