People rush past an earthmover clearing a road of a big rock that came down with mud and plant debris following intense monsoon rains in Dharmsala, Himachal Pradesh state, India, Sunday, Aug. 21, 2022. Landslides and flooding over the last three days killed at least three dozen people in this Himalayan state, an official government release said Sunday. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)
The Associated Press
NEW DELHI (AP) - At least 40 people have died and others are missing in flash floods triggered by intense monsoon rains in northern India over the past three days, officials said Sunday.
The rains inundated hundreds of villages, swept away mud houses, flooded roads and destroyed bridges in some parts of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand states. The Indian Meteorological Department predicted that heavy to very heavy rain would continue to fall in the region for the next two days.
An official government release Sunday said landslides and flooding in the Himalayan state of Himachal Pradesh over the last three days killed at least 36 people. Hundreds were taking shelter in relief camps after being displaced from their flooded homes.
In the neighboring state of Uttarakhand, a series of cloudbursts Saturday left four dead and 13 went missing as rivers breached banks and washed away some houses.
Rescue teams were evacuating the stranded in both states.
Disasters caused by landslides and floods are common in India's Himalayan north during the June-September monsoon season. Scientists say they are becoming more frequent as global warming contributes to the melting of glaciers there.
Last year, flash floods killed nearly 200 people and washed away houses in Uttarakhand.
A motorcyclist tries to drive past mud and debris after a landslide blocked a road in Dharmsala, Himachal Pradesh state, India, Sunday, Aug. 21, 2022. Landslides and flooding over the last three days killed at least three dozen people in this Himalayan state, an official government release said Sunday. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)
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Railing of a small bridge is unhinged after a landslide caused by intense monsoon rains in Dharmsala, Himachal Pradesh state, India, Sunday, Aug. 21, 2022. Landslides and flooding over the last three days killed at least three dozen people in this Himalayan state, an official government release said Sunday. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)
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A man waits for an opportunity to cross as an earthmover clears a road of a big rock that came down with mud and plant debris following intense monsoon rains in Dharmsala, Himachal Pradesh state, India, Sunday, Aug. 21, 2022. Landslides and flooding over the last three days killed at least three dozen people in this Himalayan state, an official government release said Sunday. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)
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Scooter riders rush past an earthmover clearing a road of a big rock that came down with mud and plant debris in Dharmsala, Himachal Pradesh state, India, Sunday, Aug. 21, 2022. Landslides and flooding over the last three days killed at least three dozen people in this Himalayan state, an official government release said Sunday. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)
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An exile Tibetan Buddhist nun walks in the rain in Dharmsala, India, Saturday, Aug. 20, 2022. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)
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A crew member looks at the smoke resulting from a controlled blast to break a large chunk of rock that came down in Dharmsala, Himachal Pradesh state, India, Sunday, Aug. 21, 2022. Landslides and flooding over the last three days killed at least three dozen people in this Himalayan state, an official government release said Sunday. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)
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A woman and her dog on a scooter rush past an earthmover clearing a road of a big rock that came down with mud and plant debris following intense monsoon rains in Dharmsala, Himachal Pradesh state, India, Sunday, Aug. 21, 2022. Landslides and flooding over the last three days killed at least three dozen people in this Himalayan state, an official government release said Sunday. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)
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Boatmen stand by the rising water level of the River Yamuna after heavy rainfall in Prayagraj, in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, Saturday, Aug. 20, 2022. AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
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People stand watching the rising water level of the River Yamuna after heavy rainfall in Prayagraj, in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, Saturday, Aug. 20, 2022. AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
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A train crosses Naini Bridge over the River Yamuna, swollen following heavy rainfall, in Prayagraj, in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, Saturday, Aug. 20, 2022. AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
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