ALLAHABAD: An Indian boatman stands on his boat on the flooded river Ganges yesterday as the water level of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers rise due to heavy rainfall. – AFP

NEW DELHI/MUMBAI: Heavy monsoon rains that sparked floods and caused buildings to collapse have killed at least 49 people in north India’s Uttar Pradesh state since Thursday officials said, as the national weather agency issued further storm warnings. Some of the victims died after they were buried by collapsing buildings, while others were drowned, electrocuted or killed in traffic accidents caused by the rain, disaster management officials said.

With scores of houses damaged, authorities in Uttar Pradesh - home to some 220 million people - were on high alert and called for all buildings at risk to be vacated. The torrential rains have also hit New Delhi and the western state of Rajasthan that is popular with tourists, where 11 cm of rain was reported in 24 hours in Bharatpur district Friday. New Delhi’s Yamuna river crossed the danger mark of 204 m by one meter yesterday, leading the authorities to issue an alert. The water level in the river is expected to rise further, Delhi government said. Building collapses are common across India, especially during the monsoon season from late June to September. The meteorological office has warned of heavy rainfall across much of northern India for the next five days.

Meanwhile, a bus carrying university workers plunged off a mountain road into a valley in western India yesterday, killing 33 people, police said. Only one passenger is believed to have survived the accident in Raigad district of Maharashtra state. The bus was taking staff of Dapoli Agriculture University to the popular hill station of Mahabaleshwar for a picnic, a senior Raigad district administrator, Vijay Suryawanshi, told AFP.

“We have confirmed 33 deaths and only one person managed to survive the bus crash. Our team is trying to recover the bodies,” Anupam Srivastava, commander of India’s National Disaster Relief Force, told AFP. “The surviving passenger managed to alert officials about the deaths and the crash,” he added. Police said the slippery mountain terrain where the latest accident took place made the road a danger.

Accidents on India’s notorious roads claim the lives of more than 150,000 people each year. Most accidents are blamed on poor roads, badly-maintained vehicles and reckless driving. Earlier this month, 48 people were killed and many others badly injured in northern India when an overcrowded bus hurtled into a gorge in the Himalayan foothills. – Agencies