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NEW DELHI, India – The shocking floods that have ravaged four states in India have left hundreds of thousands devastated by losses ranging from death or injury to family members and friends, and destruction of homes and other property.

The death toll, according to government sources reported by news agencies, has reached 158.

Reuters on Sunday confirmed that in the states of Kerala, Maharashtra and Karnataka, the number of people who have died has topped 147.

Heavy rain and landslides forced hundreds of thousands of people to take shelter in relief camps, while train services were cancelled in several flood-hit areas, the Wam news agency reported on Sunday.

The numbers at relief camps have been swelling. In the southern state of Keralanumber, according to Reuters, relief camps in that state are now housing 165,000 people as a result of the floods. The agency said the number of people killed in Kerala is 57.

“Several houses are still covered under 10 to twelve feet of deep mud. This is hampering rescue work,” State Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said Sunday.

The scale of the flooding is similar to that of last year when more than 200 people died in Kerala while five million had their lives disrupted, many by being displaced.

In the state of Karnataka, also in the south of the country, heavy rain caused widespread flooding at world heritage site Hampi, an ancient town. 60 people have been killed, State Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa said Sunday, while another 227,000 people have been forced into relief camps.

In the western state of Maharashtra, the number of deaths recorded so far is thirty. Travel by rail in the state has been severely curtailed, with some tracks expected to be oiut of of action for a fortnight.

While the four states have taken the brunt of the damage there are many other states that have been affected by the rain.

Our Asian partner, ANI, reported on Sunday that at least 11 people have ldied in the western state of Gujarat over the weekend as incessant rains wreaked havoc in that state.

Rescue operations to evacuate people to a safer place is underway. So far, around 6,000 people have been moved to safety.

A policeman from the state received praise for his bravery and kindness. He carried two children on his shoulders for over 1.5 kilometres to rescue them from the floodwaters in Kalyanpur village of Morbi district in Gujarat, ANI reported.

Pruthviraj Jadeja, the policeman, braved fierce current floodwaters and strong winds to save the children, and received praise from the State Chief Minister Vijay Rupani who shared the video and praised the officer on Twitter.

In the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand, due to unrelenting rains, Thal-Munsiyari Road near Banik was shut on Sunday after boulders and debris blocked the road.

Earlier on Sunday, in another incident, a huge boulder fell on the road and blocked the portion of the national highway-125 between Dharchula and Tawaghat in the state.

(File photo. Credit: The Weather Channel).