Western Indian Monsoons Claim 1,000 Lives

Flooding and landslides caused by devastating monsoon rains in western India have now claimed more than 1,000 lives, a senior Indian official said today.

Since Mumbai - formerly known as Bombay - and the surrounding area in Maharashtra state were last week hit by the worst rainfall since records began in 1846, the aftermath of the storms has continued to claim victims.

According to the state's chief secretary, Prem Kumar, some districts remain flooded and 200,000 people are being housed in more than 200 emergency camps. Around 70,000 people who fled the rains have now returned to their homes.

Residents have voiced anger at the government, saying the flooding and landslides could have been prevented by putting sewage and drainage systems into place.

Last week, thousands took to the streets to protest against what they considered to be a slow official response to the emergency.

Officials, however, said no one could have anticipated the intensity of the rainfall. A record 94cm (37in) fell on Mumbai, India's financial capital, over a 24-hour period on July 26, killing almost 450 people and bringing the city to a halt.

Many of the victims were crushed by falling walls, electrocuted as power lines came down, trapped in their cars or buried under landslides.

On Wednesday, relief workers began distributing food and drinking water to the residents of Mumbai and surrounding villages, recovering bodies from the floodwater and areas hit by landslides.

Many voiced concern about the threat posed by waterborne epidemics and malaria.

South India was also badly affected by the monsoon, which claimed 190 lives and forced 42,000 people to flee their homes. "About 200 villages have been marooned," an Karnataka state official said.

The rains, which began falling in June and intensified during late July, flooded villages, destroyed crops and killed hundreds of cattle - a key source of income.

Repairing the damage throughout the country could cost up to $10bn (£5.7bn), a senior Indian official told the BBC earlier this week.

Every year, hundreds of Indians die in monsoon rains, which fall between June and September.