Soldiers and rescue workers rushed to provide relief to hundreds of thousands of people stranded in eastern India by monsoon floods that have killed at least 35 people in the past week, officials said Thursday. The floods destroyed bridges, washed out major highways and sent villagers fleeing for higher ground in the state of West Bengal, where the death toll rose to six, said local official Kalyan Mitra. About 300 soldiers have been called in to help in the state, Mitra said. Authorities were arranging to bring in helicopters to drop food to West Bengal's hardest-hit districts, said Asim Dasgupta, the state's finance minister. Officials said they feared West Bengal did not have enough rescue supplies. “There is an acute shortage of speed boats and relief material,” said Mitra. “The pace of rescue work has been slowed down.” Weather forecasters predicted more rain in coming days. Floodwaters in neighboring Orissa state left two people dead and marooned more than 200,000 in nearly 300 villages, said Manmohan Samal, the state revenue minister. In the past week, 19 deaths were reported from mudslides and house collapses in Arunachal Pradesh state, while eight fatalities were reported in the state of Assam. Monsoon rains usually hit India from June to September. Farmers depend on them for their crops, which feed hundreds of millions of people in the country. The monsoons also bring massive destruction across the country, however. Flooding, house collapses and other rain-related incidents kill thousands of people each year.
