NEW DELHI, August 27 (RIA Novosti) - At least 23 people died over the past 24 hours in some of the worst floods to hit north India, the country's media said Monday.
The death toll in a month of flooding in the state of Bihar has exceeded 500.
Overflowing rivers have engulfed almost 10,000 villages, home to 20.5 million people in 20 administrative districts of the state. Material damages are estimated at $108 million, with thousands of hectares of crops destroyed and many people left with no food.
Army units, some 7,000 boats, and over 500 paramedic teams have been involved in relief operations in the densely-populated state. A total of 993,000 people have been accommodated in refugee camps.
India's Central Water Commission, the national authority overseeing water resources, said the water level remains critical in the region's largest rivers despite a decline registered in some areas.
