Floods leave 50 people dead in Assam and Kerala

Watch CNBC-TV18 live only on MYTV >>

According to the ministry of home affairs, almost one million people have been hit by the floods, forcing almost half a million to leave their water-logged villages and seek shelter in government relief camps.

Mountainous Assam, where five people have drowned, has been the worst-affected with 13 out of 27 districts hit by flooding, including Kokrajhar, Lakhimpur, Baksa and Bongaigaon.

Relief and rescue operations have started in all the affected districts, said Assams chief minister Tarun Gogoi.

Troops from the countrys National Disaster Response Force have also been deployed to the area where they are ferrying stranded villagers along with their belongings, on hundreds of rubber and wooden boats to safer areas.

There are around 700 relief camps accommodating over 400,000 people in Assam, officials say, adding that essential aid is being distributed and medical teams are providing assistance.

In Kerala, where more than 23,000 people have been affected and 48 people