Thousands flee flood-alert in Calcutta

Villagers will use any means to flee the rising waters

Thousands of people in Calcutta have begun moving to higher ground after warnings that flood waters and high tides could inundate low-lying areas.

The warning in the Indian city came as the swollen Ganges and other rivers in West Bengal and neighbouring Bangladesh continued to rise after heavy monsoon rains.

The floods have already claimed 450 lives, and up to 15 million people have been stranded or badly affected.

Officials in West Bengal fear that the lack of road and rail links to the disaster area may lead to a repeat of Monday's riots, when hungry mobs attacked relief teams and looted trains carrying food aid.

The threat of water-borne disease will grow in the coming days unless people in the cut off areas can be accessed

Fernando Soares, IFRC

In the past 24 hours, the main road connecting Calcutta to Murshidabad, the worst-hit district, has become completely flooded about 50 miles short of Calcutta, relief officials said.

Fernando Soares, a member of an International Federation of the Red Cross team in West Bengal, said: "The situation looks very serious with many people still marooned and relief supplies not reaching them because of the lack of road access.

"The main priority is still rescue and food, although the threat of water-borne disease will grow in the coming days unless people in the cut off areas can be accessed."

Medicine shortage

In neighbouring Bangladesh, where eight people have been confirmed dead from the flooding, an estimated 1.4 million people have been forced to flee their homes by rising flood waters.

Flooded rail links have hit food supplies

The flooding took a dramatic turn for the worse last week when the sluice gates of three major rivers were opened to prevent dams from bursting.

The monsoon floods in West Bengal have left a trail of destruction in their wake.

Millions of people displaced from their homes are now in urgent need of shelter, medicine and safe drinking water.

Some people say they have not eaten for days and they have no money to buy food since the floods swept away their homes and livelihoods.

International agencies and the West Bengal Government are beginning to distribute relief, but admit that until now their priority has been to rescue people stranded by the floods.

Military officials said they had managed to rescue 250,000 people at the weekend around Murshidabad.