More than 200 killed, 1.2 million displaced by India floods

India has issued a fresh flood alert for parts of the southern state of Kerala, as the death toll from the annual monsoon deluge across the country rose to at least 209. Authorities on Wednesday warned Kerala locals of heavy to extremely heavy rainfall over the next 24 to 48 hours in some of the worst affected regions of the state popular with tourists.

Heavy rains in parts of four Indian states – Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Gujarat – have forced more than 1.2 million people to leave their homes and take shelter in government-run relief camps.

In Karnataka, several structures at the world heritage site Hampi, an ancient town, were flooded.

Last year, Kerala was hit by its worst floods in almost a century, and is still recovering from the extensive loss of life and damage to public infrastructure including highways, railways and roads.

Around 450 people lost their lives there in 2018.