New Delhi, August 07 (QNA) - At least 97 people have died in flooding in the northeastern Indian state of Assam.

According to official sources, the floods have affected nearly 170,000 people and forced thousands to seek shelter in temporary relief camps after rivers overflowed and inundated homes. More than 14,000 hectares of farmland have also been flooded.

Indian Minister of Health and Family Welfare J.P. Nadda said the scale of the destruction was enormous and that it would take time for conditions to return to normal. He also told reporters that floodwaters were inundating one village after another.

Like much of the Indian subcontinent, flooding is common in Assam during the monsoon season, which runs from June to September, when the Brahmaputra River, India's largest river, and many of its tributaries overflow.

The southern state of Kerala has also experienced flooding and heavy rainfall, leaving 26 people dead and forcing the evacuation of at least 27,000 people. (QNA)