Heavy monsoon rains have lashed northern India, killing at least 104 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. “The dead included women and children, as most of the fatalities occurred due to the incidents of houses collapsing,” said state police spokesman Surendra Srivastava. One of the worst hit places was the Hindu holy city of Varanasi, where 11.5 inches (290 millimeters) of rain fell in 24 hours. The deluge caused the walls of one house to collapse, killing nine members of a singe family, said Srivastava. Four others were also killed in the city.
