India Monsoon Flooding Kills 7, Displaces 1.2 Million

Pam Wright
Published: July 26,2016



 
At least seven people have died and 1.2 million others were displaced from their homes in India's northeastern state of Assam after heavy monsoon rains and flooding inundated the country.
According to the Associated Press, army soldiers rescued thousands of people using boats. Many residents were stranded on the roofs of their homes and had to be taken to a safe location.
Much of Assam is under water after the Brahmaputra and its tributaries breached their banks, with 18 of the state's districts affected. Large chunks of main roads and highways have been washed away and power pylons have come down, according to Daily News and Analysis.
District officials said more than 200 relief camps have been set up for flood victims, the New Indian Express reported.
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Endangered Rhinos In Trouble

Forest Department officials told DNA an adult male rhino drowned in a river in Kaziranga National Park from the flooding. The carcass, with its horn intact, was recovered near Siga camp on Tuesday, two days after another dead rhino was found at the same location.
Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary is completely under water, according to sanctuary officials, forcing animals – including endangered rhinos, wild buffaloes, wild pigs and several species of snakes and birds – to seek higher ground and food at a different location.
The yearly monsoons from June to September result in annual flooding in India, as well as other countries in Southeast Asia.