Flood death toll worsens in India's Assam

GUWAHATI: The death toll from worsening monsoon floods in India's Assam state has hit 18 with hundreds of thousands in makeshift camps and no letup in the deluge, officials said Thursday.

"Monsoons are still ongoing. There are fresh developments every hour," Rajib Prakash Barua, a senior Assam State Disaster Management Authority official, told AFP as he confirmed the latest death on Wednesday.

The 18 people have died since the monsoons started in the northeastern state in April, said Barua, speaking from the state's main city Guwahati.

"One person died yesterday, taking the overall death toll in the last week to five. Most people died either because of flooding or electrocution," he added.

Officials say about 395,000 people have so far been affected in 863 villages across Assam's 15 districts.

Many people have moved to makeshift camps set up by authorities on higher ground.

Jorhat and Sonitpur, around 190 miles and 120 miles from Guwahati, are among the worst affected districts in the state. More storms were predicted for Friday and coming days.