Heavy rains and landslides kill 14 in northeast

A series of landslides and house collapses caused by heavy rains killed at least 14 people and injured more than 50 others in India's remote northeast, an official said.

A series of landslides and house collapses caused by heavy rains killed at least 14 people and injured more than 50 others in India's remote northeast, an official said.

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Rescue workers recovered 14 bodies on Saturday after two days of heavy rains lashed areas around Itanagar, the capital of Arunachal Pradesh state, government official Bidol Tayeng said. The landslides cut off the area from the rest of the state, Tayeng said, adding electricity and water supplies were also cut. "The situation is grim, but the rains have stopped and our rescue work is in full swing," he said.

Tayeng said the death toll is likely to rise as rescue efforts continue.

In neighboring Assam state, the heavy rains flooded 120 villages and forced more than 40,000 people from their homes, police said. The government is trying to rescue villagers in flooded Lakhimpur district and move them to higher ground, Superintendent of Police Ataul Karim said.

No deaths have been reported in Assam so far, he added. Assam is prone to flooding. Last year, millions of people were forced to temporarily abandon their homes after floods. Monsoon rains usually hit India from June to September. The rains are crucial for farmers whose crops feed hundreds of millions of people, but they also bring massive destruction across the country. Every year, thousands of people are killed by flooding, collapsing houses and other rain-related incidents.