AlQa'dah 10, 1433, Sep 26, 2012, SPA - Floods driven by incessant monsoon rains continued to wreak havoc in India's north-eastern state of Assam Wednesday, washing away homes and livestock and claiming 19 lives, officials said, according to DPA. A total of around 1.8 million people have been affected, with more than half the state - 16 out of 27 districts - in the grip of floodwaters, state agriculture minister and government spokesman Nilamani Sen Deka said. The 1.8 million represented those who had been displaced, stranded in or on their homes, or who had suffered damage to their crops, land or livelihoods. "Nineteen people have died in incidents of drowning and 10 more are missing since the floods began last week," Deka said by phone from the state capital, Guwahati. Water levels in Assam's main river Brahmaputra and its tributaries have continued to rise, inundating new areas. "The situation remains serious, but relief and rescue efforts are on full-swing. We expect the rains to subside and the situation to improve in the next two to three days," he added. Nearly 400,000 people were staying in 200 relief camps set up by the government.
