Dozens die in India landslides

Many areas of India have been flooded

Rescue work is under way in a remote mountainous area in northern India hit by landslides over the weekend.

At least 28 people have died in landslides triggered by torrential rains in Uttaranchal state and there are fears the toll could rise.

Indian army soldiers have now reached the four villages where the authorities have recovered 28 bodies.

They are carrying food and medicines and will help free anybody still trapped under the debris.

Damage

The rescue effort has been hampered by pouring rain and poor roads.

Rescuers battled to clear debris and pull out bodies from piles of mud, rocks and uprooted trees.

The local authorities are now trying to estimate the extent of the damage with a large number of houses, farmlands and livestock destroyed.

The district magistrate, Umakant Pawar, told the BBC that the administration had announced compensation of 50,000 rupees ($1,000) for the families of the victims.

A cloudburst hit the region in the small hours of Sunday morning, when most villagers were asleep.

"The residents of the four villages had no chance to run to safety when their mud-built houses came crashing down," said Uttaranchal state Chief Secretary Madhukar Gupta.

More than 50 people were injured. Rescuers say many people could be still buried inside their collapsed homes.

Erratic weather

"The situation in the area is grim as surface and telecom links with the villages have completely snapped," Mr Gupta said.

The monsoon has been unpredictable

The monsoon in India this year has been erratic.

According to one estimate, at least 700 people have so far died due to floods.

While some parts of the country have been devastated by rain, others are reeling under severe dry conditions forcing villagers to look for jobs in the cities.

The central government says that drought prevailing in more than 300 districts is the worst in the last 18 years.

The government has announced a series of measures to help the farmers affected.