Fresh flood alert in southern India as monsoon death toll hits 244

India issued a fresh flood alert Wednesday for parts of the southern state of Kerala, as the nationwide death toll from the annual monsoon deluge rose to at least 244.

Authorities warned Kerala locals of heavy rainfall over the next 24-48 hours in some of the worst affected regions of the state popular with tourists.

Heavy rain in parts of four Indian states -- Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Gujarat -- has forced more than 1.2 million people to leave their homes, mostly for government-run relief camps.

Kerala was hit by its worst floods in almost a century last year, when 450 people died, and the state is still recovering from the damage to public infrastructure including highways, railways and roads.

The state's death toll this monsoon season increased to 95 overnight, with at least 59 people missing, Kerala police told AFP on Wednesday.

At least 58 people have also lost their lives in neighbouring Karnataka state, where authorities have rescued around 677,000 people from flooded regions.

The situation is now improving in Karnataka, however, as waters start to recede, a government official told AFP.

In the western states of Gujarat and Maharashtra the death toll reached 91, with hundreds of thousands rescued from inundated regions.

"Our teams have recovered 49 bodies so far from different regions including Sangli, Kolhapur, Satara and Pune, and most deaths were caused due to drowning and wall collapses," Deepak Mhaisekar, divisional commissioner of Pune told AFP.

"The situation is under control now," he added, though the casualty count may increase slightly.

India has deployed the army, navy and air force to work with the local emergency personnel for search, rescue and relief operations.

The monsoon rains are crucial to replenishing water supplies in drought-stricken India, but they kill hundreds of people across the country every year.

Tens of thousands flee homes in flood-hit Myanmar as landslide toll hits 59
Mawlamyine, Myanmar (AFP) Aug 12, 2019 - Vast swathes of southeastern Myanmar lie under floodwaters that have already forced tens of thousands to flee their homes as the death toll from a massive landslide hit 59, firefighters said Monday.

Seasonal monsoon rains batter the country every year, but the recent deluge has submerged entire communities, with AFP drone footage showing only the tops of houses visible.

There are currently more than 80,000 people sheltering at evacuation sites across the country, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

In the town of Ye in Mon state, people scrambled to stay afloat as they tried to swim to safety through swirling, muddy waters.

Others fled to rooftops or to higher ground, calling out to rescue boats for help.

AFP reporters saw workers desperately trying to repair roads damaged or washed away by the floods.

Rescuers also found more victims three days after a deadly landslide flattened 27 homes in Mon's Ye Pyar Kone village Friday morning.

"Another dead body was found at 16:27 bringing the death toll to 59," the fire service posted Monday afternoon on Facebook, adding that search operations were still ongoing.

Recovery teams have worked round-the-clock over the weekend, hindered by continuing downpours and deep mud as the stench of decaying bodies worsened.

Vice President Henry Van Thio visited Mon and pledged more boats for flood relief efforts, the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar reported.

Bago, Tanintharyi, and Karen states and regions have also been badly hit, leaving emergency responders severely stretched.

Climate scientists in 2015 ranked Myanmar at the top of a global list of nations hardest hit by extreme weather.

That year more than 100 people died in floods that also displaced hundreds of thousands.

Sudan rain kills seven, leaves thousands homeless
Khartoum (AFP) Aug 13, 2019 - Heavy rain in Sudan has caused extensive flooding that killed at least seven people in the country's south Tuesday, the state news agency reported.

"Seven citizens were killed, two injured and 10 villages affected by rain and flooding in Jazira state," SUNA said.

The downpours, which have battered parts of Sudan for days now, destroyed hundreds of homes in the capital Khartoum.

At least six other people were killed over the past week in Jazira and in the western region of Darfur where thousands of people were affected by flooding.

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Myanmar battles rising floodwaters after landslide kills 52
Mawlamyine, Myanmar (AFP) Aug 11, 2019
Myanmar troops and emergency responders scrambled to provide aid in flood-hit parts of the country Sunday after rising waters forced residents to flee by boat and a landslide killed at least 52 people. Every year monsoon rains hammer Myanmar and other countries across Southeast Asia, submerging homes, displacing residents and triggering landslides. But this season's deluge has tested disaster response after a fatal landslide on Friday in southeastern Mon state was followed by heavy flooding that ... read more