Flood sweeps away Indian bus

Monsoons have left large parts of India under water

At least 36 people have drowned in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh after a flooded river swept away the bus they were travelling in.

Reports say that only a few of the estimated 60 passengers managed to swim to safety.

Many passengers are still missing and the casualty figure is expected to rise.

The bus was travelling from Vyavhari to the town of Sidhi in the north of the state.

Officers said the driver had been trying to steer the bus across a submerged bridge when the vehicle was pushed into the swollen Banas river, about 100km (60 miles) from the town of Shahdol.

The incident comes at the height of the monsoon season, and reports say heavy rains are hampering rescue efforts.

Army helicopters have been brought in to help with the operation.

The BBC Delhi correspondent, Mike Wooldridge, says it is unclear why the driver attempted to cross the bridge when it was apparently well beneath the water.

Aid appeals

The Indian authorities say scores of people have died so far this week as a result of flooding and water-borne diseases.

If aid doesn't reach them soon, we may begin to see serious malnutrition and outbreaks of water-borne diseases

Geoffrey Dennis, Red Cross

Millions of homes have been washed away in the floods, which have swept across large parts of north-eastern India, Bangladesh and Bhutan.

Particulary badly-hit have been the Indian states of Bihar and Assam.

Rivers have become polluted and drinking water supplies contaminated by sewage, sparking outbreaks of dysentery and gastroenteritis.

Millions have lost their homes

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has appealed for aid to provide those worst affected with emergency foodstuffs, blankets and water purification tablets.

The head of a Red Cross delegation touring parts of Assam, Geoffrey Dennis, said thousands of stranded villagers had been without food or help for more than a week.

"If aid doesn't reach them soon, we may begin to see serious malnutrition and outbreaks of water-borne diseases," he said.

The Red Cross has also issued an urgent appeal for aid for flood victims in Bangladesh.