Death toll in S Asia floods jumps to 650

Severe floods and lightning have claimed the lives of more than 650 people across India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan, officials said yesterday as the annual monsoon took its toll on the rain-fed region.

More than 10 million people in the South Asian countries have been affected by the deluge, which has also forced tens of thousands to flee their homes.

In India, heavy rains since the start of July have killed at least 467 people with many districts in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Assam states cut off because of flooding.

In Uttar Pradesh on Sunday, lightning strikes killed 37 people in separate incidents. The latest fatalities took the northern state's toll to 228 dead.

Eight children playing in the open in Bihar's Nawada district were also killed by lightning on Friday, taking the toll in the state to more than 100. In Assam, 67 people have perished but the situation was likely to improve with no heavy rains predicted in the coming days.

More than 70 people have also died in building collapses in Maharashtra and Himachal Pradesh states following substantial rainfalls. In Nepal, 90 people have died and another 29 are missing.

Torrential rains in Bangladesh have killed more than 97 people in the last two weeks, with swathes of agricultural fields lying inundated. At least 30 people have also lost their lives in Pakistan.