India flood deaths still rising

Hospitals in Mumbai have become overcrowded

Health officials say that the death toll from waterborne disease has reached 224 in India's flood-hit western state of Maharashtra.

More than 5,000 people are being treated across the state.

The majority are suffering from diseases such as leptospirosis, cholera and jaundice. Cases of malaria have also been reported.

More than 1,050 people died in the floods which affected 20m people in Mumbai (Bombay) and across Maharashtra.

The number killed may rise further, as officials say more deaths have been reported since Monday night.

'Plateau'

However, Ravindra Katti, Maharashtra's assistant director of public health, said that the number of new cases was levelling off.

"We have a feeling that it is almost reaching a plateau. We don't see any steep rise in such cases any more," he told Reuters.

Meanwhile, some city officials admitted they were not equipped to test for leptospirosis, a disease spread through exposure to water contaminated by rat's urine.

Scientists from India's Defence Services Laboratory have joined the state government in Maharashtra to try to stem the spread of disease, particularly in the towns of Sangli and Kolhapur.