Flood Death Toll Rises to 205 in India

The Associated Press reports that flooding in India has claimed at least 205 lives and forced three-quarters of a million people to seek higher ground. The flooding hit Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh states, where hundreds were already displaced by religious violence over the last year. "We are rushing medical teams and equipment to the camps" to ward off outbreaks of disease in the camps, Andhra Pradesh state chief minister K. Rosaiah said. Ironically, the five days of torrential rain and flooding follow weeks of severe drought brought on by the failure of monsoon rains. Air force helicopters have dropped food and drinking water to hundreds of villages that authorities have not been able to reach, while more than 100 relief camps have tried to help the 750,000 displaced people.