Powerful rain and floods devastate northern India

Relentless monsoon rain have unleashed some of the worst flooding and landslides in decades across northern India, killing at least 90 people and displacing hundreds of thousands in recent weeks, government officials said.

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India's Himalayan Mountain states and territories such as Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, as well as Punjab state, are among the worst affected. India’s capital city, New Delhi, and nearby regions have been hit by rising rivers and heavy rain. Thousands have been moved to safer ground as city officials said the Yamuna River in the city has breached danger levels.

In Punjab state, which is home to more than 30 million people and one of India's key agricultural regions, farmers said crops and livestock have been destroyed. State government officials said at least 30 people have died and 300,000 impacted by heavy rains and floods.

Surinder Singh, a farmer in Punjab's Kapurthala district, said his 10 acres (4 hectares) of farmland has been underwater since Aug. 11 in one of the areas that has been hardest hit by flooding.

"We have lost paddy, maize, and wheat crops worth over 700,000 rupees ($8,400). Children had to be moved to safer villages. The government visits, but we have received little help so far," he said.