Death toll rises to 72 as floods devastate India's Assam state

At least 72 people have died and thousands displaced in India's northeastern state of Assam due to heavy rains, landslides, and floods over the past two months, officials reported on Monday.

According to a bulletin from the state's disaster management authority, as of Monday evening, floods have affected 27 districts, impacting 1.8 million people.

In Assam's Kaziranga National Park, more than 100 wild animals, including the rare one-horned rhinoceros, have perished due to the floods, officials said.

Earlier on Monday, heavy rains caused flooding and disrupted road and rail networks in Mumbai, India's financial capital. Low-lying areas experienced waterlogging, leading to disruptions in suburban train services, an official statement said.

Read also: Torrential downpour: Mumbai soaked with over 300mm of rain in just six hours

India's annual monsoon rains, starting in May, typically trigger flooding across several states.

Separately, authorities in Bihar state reported 12 deaths from lightning strikes on Monday.

In recent months, Indian states have also endured heatwaves, resulting in over 100 fatalities from heat strokes.