At least 180 dead, more than a million displaced in India floods

Heavy monsoon rains have killed at least 180 people in India in the past week and forced nearly 1.2 million of people to take shelter in state-run relief camps, India's Disaster Management Ministry says.

Indian commuters wade through a flooded street in Prafulla Nagar, some 120km north of Calcutta, India, 03 August 2015. EPA/PIYAL ADHIKARY Source: EPA

Heavy monsoon rains have killed at least 180 people in India in the past week and forced nearly 1.2 million of people to take shelter in state-run relief camps, India's Disaster Management Ministry says. 

The death toll jumped from 120 yesterday after more bodies were discovered in West Bengal and in the state of Gujarat today.

"The death toll due to flooding in West Bengal rose to 70, with roads and farms in 13,200 villages remaining under water," disaster management minister Javed Ahmad Khan told AFP.

"Nearly 1.2 million people are now staying in around 1,600 relief camps opened in schools and government offices," he added. 

The annual monsoon season in India stretches from June through September.