At least 13 people died in the northern Indian hill state of Uttarakhand as the annual monsoon rains spread rapidly across the country a fortnight ahead of schedule, officials and news reports said Monday.
There were heavy downpours across vast swathes of northern and western India with Uttarkhand and Haryana among the worst-hit states, NDTV news channel reported.
Rain caused house collapses, floods and landslides in Uttarakhand, killing at least 13 people. Over 50 have been reported missing, dpa reported.
At least 30,000 pilgrims were reported stranded in the Kedarnath valley, which has several Hindu pilgrimage spots, as roads and bridges were washed away.
All government schools in the Uttarakhand capital Dehradun have been closed as a precautionary measure and the state administration has been put on alert, said Yashpal Arya, Uttarakhand disaster management and rehabilitation minister.
In Haryana, Indian Air Force helicopters were being used to rescue residents of 15 villages marooned by floods, IANS news agency reported.
Heavy rains disrupted life in financial hub Mumbai for the third day Monday.
Almost every year, monsoon-driven floods cause widespread destruction. The monsoon season in India lasts from June to October.