29 dead, thousands displaced as floods wreak havoc in Indian Punjab

Torrential monsoon rains have triggered devastating floods in India's northern state of Punjab, leaving at least 29 people dead and displacing thousands, according to an official government statement on Monday.

According to the Punjab government statement, some 16,000 people have been evacuated.

Bhagwant Mann, the state chief minister, said the state is currently grappling with "one of the worst flood disasters in decades," with floodwaters affecting around 1,000 villages. The heavy monsoon rainfall and dam water releases have caused large-scale destruction in seven districts of Punjab.

Punjab government officials said 300,000 acres of farmland, primarily paddy fields, "remain submerged under floodwater, leading to devastating crop losses just weeks before harvest."

With rains still ongoing, educational institutions have been shut until Sept. 3.

The Indian Army, Air Force, and volunteer organizations are engaged in around-the-clock rescue and relief operations, described as "war footing" by public broadcaster All India Radio. Efforts include evacuations, distribution of relief materials, and provision of medical assistance to those stranded.

Monsoon rains in the past few weeks have wreaked havoc, causing a number of cloudbursts, flash floods and landslides in several areas of northern India. Heavy monsoon rains usually begin in India in June and end in September.

In Himachal Pradesh, authorities confirmed a death toll of 320 as of Monday, with additional deaths reported in Uttarakhand due to landslides and rain-related incidents.

The Indian Home Ministry has announced the deployment of inter-ministerial central teams to assess the damage across the affected regions, including from floods, cloudbursts, and landslides.