Hundreds of bodies found as Indian floods recede

Hundreds of bodies have been found in eastern India in the last three days as waters receded from the worst flooding in more than a decade, officials said on Tuesday.

Touring Bihar, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh warned that millions of people in one of the country's poorest states could face disease and hunger in the wake of the flooding.

"The threat of epidemic spreading is real," he told a news conference, ordering a team of government doctors to visit the region.

At least 630 people are now confirmed dead in the two worst-affected Indian states of Bihar, in the east, and Assam in the northeast.

In Bihar, state relief minister Ram Vichar Rai said more than 320 bodies had been found in remote areas in the last 72 hours and he said the toll could rise sharply.

Singh flew over marooned parts of northern Bihar. He said the floods had caused massive damage and left a crisis in their wake.

"We must ensure people do not die of hunger, we will have to construct houses and ensure farmers are taken care of," he said.

Last year, nearly 500 people died in Bihar of water-borne diseases such as diarrhea after the floods ended. Officials said the floods were worse this year.

Television pictures showed people marooned on rooftops and in trees near the town of Samastipur in northern Bihar. A few were swimming in muddy brown water looking to salvage foods dropped by military helicopters.

Newspapers have reported looting of food by marauding mobs in the towns of Sitamarhi and Darbhanga in northern Bihar.

Source: Agencies