Hundreds dead in India monsoon

The Indian Army has launched a major rescue operation to help families stranded by recent heavy flooding in the north of the country.

Helicopters are being used to rescue people from remote regions but further heavy rain is hampering efforts. The death toll from the floods now stands at 680.

Forty bodies have been found at a Hindu shrine in India's Uttarakhand province after it was hit by the country's devastating flooding and landslides.

Rescue teams recovered 23 bodies at the site in Kedarnath, a day after 17 bodies has been removed. The victims were among hundreds killed in the flash flooding.

Indian officials, meanwhile, have said they hope to reach and evacuate all those who remain stranded in isolated hills in the region by the end of the weekend.

Thousands of people have been evacuated from towns and villages in northern India after heavy monsoon flooding, which has killed more than 500 people, the Associated Press reports.

Many roads and bridges have been washed by the floods and landslides and helicopters have used to transport people to safer areas.

The death toll from monsoon flooding and landslides in northern India has risen to nearly 600, the Associated Press reports, citing local officials.

The Chief Minister of the state of Uttrakhand Vijay Bahguna said 556 bodies had been found buried deep in slush and the army was trying to recover them.

Another 40 bodies were discovered floating in the River Ganges near the Hindu holy city of Haridwar, said police officer Rajiv Swaroop.

At least nine people were killed today and 14 injured when a residential building collapsed on the outskirts of the Indian city of Mumbai, Reuters reports citing local media.

Rescue workers have been searching the debris for survivors amid heavy rain caused by an annual monsoon.

India's longest river - the Ganges - has been left swollen by monsoon rains, which have killed at least 500 people.

Tens of thousands of people have also been left stranded in the mountainous region of the northern state of Uttrakhand.

Heavy monsoon rains in northern India have claimed the lives of than 500 people in the state of Uttrakhand.

Tens of thousands of people are believed to be stranded after flooding that has swollen the Ganges - the country's longest river - and landslides.

The army is involved in the operation to rescue people and also recover bodies that have been buried in slush.

Tens of thousands, mostly pilgrims, have been left stranded in the Indian state of Uttarakhan, after a monsoon caused heavy flooding and landslides, the Associated Press reports.

More than 500 people are known have died and a search and recovery operation is ongoing.

Read: More than 500 killed after flooding in India

An official in northern India has said that the death toll from monsoon flooding has surpassed 500, the Associated Press reports.

The Indian government has launched a multi-million rupee aid package after thousands of houses were swept away in flash floods in the northern state of Uttarakhand.

Army helicopters are working round the clock to bring in supplies for the stranded and bereaved people in the hill state.

Earlier, India's Interior Minister, Sushil Kumar Shinde, stated that the death toll had reached 207, but said he expected is to rise as emergency workers searched the debris.