At least 74 killed in flooding in India

(August 21, 2008) Heavy monsoon rains have lashed northern India, killing at least 74 people and destroying dozens of poorly constructed buildings, police said Thursday. All the deaths were reported from Uttar Pradesh state, one of India's poorest, and raise the death toll across the country from this year's monsoon season to more than 300 people. Monsoon season, which lasts from June to September in India, brings rain vital for the country's farmers but also massive destruction. Floods, mudslides, house collapses and lightning strikes kill hundreds every year. One of the worst hit places was the Hindu holy city of Varanasi, where 11.5 inches (29 centimetres) of rain fell in 24 hours. The deluge caused the walls of one house to collapse, killing nine members of a singe family among others. Four others were also killed in the city. Schools in Varanasi and the nearby town of Barabanki were closed and the Ganges River was overflowing in some points. In the town of Sitapur 24 people were killed when 12 buildings collapsed. In the neighbouring state of Bihar, air force helicopters were called in to airlift supplies to thousands of people who were stranded when a river burst its banks. A force of 60 soldiers was sent to the area to assist with relief efforts, reported the officials. Officials at the meteorological department warned of more flooding in the days to come. In north-eastern India, floods Wednesday left nearly 80,000 people stranded and dependent on emergency aid for food and water in India's remote northeast.