LUCKNOW/BHUBANESHWAR, India, Aug 21 (Reuters) – Monsoon-triggered floods and landslides have claimed at least 50 lives in northern and eastern India in the past three days, authorities said on Sunday. .
The torrential rains devastated hundreds of villages, washing away homes and leaving thousands homeless.
The Indian meteorological service had predicted at the beginning of the month that the monsoon rains should be average in August and September.
But the deluge that hit Himachal Pradesh, in the foothills of the Himalayas, caused severe landslides that killed at least 36 people, a state official told Reuters.
Victims and damage were also reported in the neighboring mountainous region of Uttarakhand, as well as further east in the state of Odisha, where nearly 800,000 people are affected by the floods. Some 120,000 residents had to be evacuated, according to the authorities. (Report by Saurabh Sharma Lucknow and Jatindra Dash Bubaneshwar, written by Munsif Vengattil, French version Tangi Salan)