At least 50 people have died from a malaria epidemic sweeping India's north-east and another 25,000 have fallen sick from the illness, health officials said Tuesday.
Malaria has been detected in other north-eastern states but the fatalities have only been reported in tea-and-resource-rich Asom state, officials said.
"Fifty people have died of cerebral malaria since the beginning of April with the eastern districts of Lakhmipur and Golaghat being worst affected," Asom Health Minister Bhumidhar Barman told AFP. He added an estimated 25,000 more people in the state of 26 million were sick with the illness but said "we've been able to check the spread of the disease and the trend is gradually declining."
India's north-east is known as a "malaria belt" with the disease claiming some 500 lives annually. At least 230 people died in Asom last year of malaria which is caused by a small parasite spread through mosquito bites.
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