Death toll rises in Orissa floods

Some 2.4 million people have been affected by the floods

At least 17 people have been killed by floods triggered by monsoon rains in India's eastern state of Orissa.

Some 2.4 million people in Orissa have been affected, officials say. More than 200,000 people have been evacuated from the worst-hit areas to relief camps.

Nearly 1,850 villages are under water, in the worst floods in 50 years.

The Mahanadi River has breached its banks in several places, sweeping away motorways. Meteorologists predict more rains in Orissa in the next 48 hours.

The floods have also ravaged the states of West Bengal, Orissa, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and Assam, killing dozens of people.

Emergency funding

Road links between the state capital of Bhubaneswar and many surrounding districts have been destroyed by the floods.

Indian army helicopters have been dropping food aid to people who remain stranded.

"In its dimension and sweep, the current flood in Orissa is comparable to the recent flood in Kosi River that caused havoc in Bihar," said a senior government spokesman.

The natural disaster "should be treated with the same urgency and seriousness", said Ajit Kumar Tripathy.

Monsoon waters have been causing havoc in India's Bihar state, as well as in Nepal and Bangladesh, where tens of thousands have been left homeless.

The authorities in Orissa have requested 15bn Rupees (£179m) in emergency assistance from central government in Delhi.