Several thousand people died from floods in India

At least 5,000 people may have been killed by flash floods and landslides in northern India over the past week, an official admitted.

>>>65 people were killed by floods and landslides in India

Heavy rains caused a series of landslides and flash floods in the state of Uttarakhand last week. The media reported that several hundred people had died, but Yashpal Arya, the state's chief disaster officer, admitted the number of deaths could be many times higher.

Location of Uttarakhand state in India.(Graphic: BBC)

"Certainly at least 5,000 people have died in flash floods and landslides in Uttarakhand state, especially Kedarnath city , " Xinhua quoted Yashpal Arya.

Residents and officials in the city of Kedarnath, where many Hindu temples are located, are surprised by the scale and destructive power of flash floods and landslides last week. They call them "tsunami of the Himalayas". More than 40,000 pilgrims and tourists are trapped in the mountains because of the flood. On June 23, rescuers and soldiers rescued all these people.

Soldiers use ropes to rescue a group of pilgrims on the banks of a river in the Indian state of Uttarakhand.Pilgrims are stuck due to rising river water.(Photo: AP)

People affected by natural disasters accuse the Uttarakhand state government of failing to fulfill its responsibilities. Friends and relatives of the missing people protested outside government buildings.

The rainy season in India usually starts in June and ends in September. Experts believe that India is experiencing the heaviest rains in the last 60 years. The Indian Meteorological Agency warned that the rain would continue to hit Uttarakhand state on June 24, the BBC reported.