Dozens killed by heavy rain in northern India
Almost 60 people were killed, several of them in a temple collapse, and dozens more were feared missing after intense rains caused floods and landslides in India, officials said on Monday. Days of torrential downpours have washed away vehicles, demolished buildings and destroyed bridges in the northern Himalayan states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. "The local administration is diligently working to clear the debris in order to rescue individuals who may still be trapped," chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said in a statement. Images from hard-hit areas in Himachal Pradesh showed bodies being pulled out of thick piles of dark earth that had crushed buildings and smashed roofs. Thousands of people have been stranded, with key roads, power lines and communication networks disrupted. Railway lines were seen dangling in midair, with the ground beneath them washed away. (AFP)