Indian authorities on Sunday mounted major rescue and relief efforts as the death toll from monsoon floods which cut off roads in the country's south and west rose to at least 144.

The southern state of Kerala -- a popular tourist haven known for its pristine beaches, hill resorts and backwaters -- is among the worst hit, with the toll jumping to at least 67 deaths.

"At least 165,000 people have been moved to over 1,318 relief camps spread across 14 districts in the state," a senior Kerala police officer told AFP.

Bad weather and damaged infrastructure were affecting rescue and relief work, he added.

Local emergency personnel and troops from the army, navy and air force have been roped in for ongoing search, rescue and relief operations across the affected regions.

The flood toll also increased in adjoining Karnataka state, where at least 34 people are now confirmed dead.

"At least 14 others are still missing. We have rescued around 480,000 people, over 50,000 animals and set up around 1,100 relief camps which have over 300,000 people," a Karnataka government official told AFP.

He said at least 136 roads and highways across the state had either been damaged or remain cut off because of floodwaters.

"The rains have eased in the upstream Maharashtra state but some reservoirs in the region have received record inflows and will have to be opened," he added.

"It is an unprecedented situation. We expect the flows to reduce in the next four-five days if there aren't any more rains."

At least 27 people have also lost their lives in Maharashtra, where several key towns have been underwater over the last few days, media reports said.

Meanwhile accidents caused by heavy rains in Gujarat, the home state of India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, have taken the lives of at least 16 people.

While the monsoon rains are crucial to replenishing water supplies, they kill hundreds of people every year.

India monsoon floods kill at least 100
New Delhi (AFP) Aug 10, 2019 - Floods have killed at least 100 people and displaced hundreds of thousands across much of India with the southern state of Kerala worst hit, authorities said Saturday.

With rains predicted to worsen in coming days, the government ordered military teams to form rescue units and airlift food to stranded villages across Kerala.

At least 48 people have died since Thursday in floods in Kerala, where the beaches and hill resorts are a major international tourist magnet, state police spokesman Pramod Kumar told AFP.

In neighbouring Karnataka, at least 24 people have been killed with nine people missing. The western states of Maharashtra and Gujarat have also been badly hit by annual monsoon storms.

Media reports said at least 27 people have lost their lives in Maharashtra, with several major roads closed by floods. Storm accidents killed eight people in the key Gujarat cities of Ahmedabad and Nadiad.

The worst fears are for Kerala where the police spokesman said about 120,000 people have moved into emergency relief camps.

"There are around 80 places where flood and rains have triggered mudslides, which we cannot reach," Kumar added.

"About 200 people are stranded at one place. We are trying to use air force helicopters to drop food to them."

Kerala's main airport at Kochi has been closed since Friday. About 500 people died in floods in the state last year which were the worst in nearly a century.

More than 600 relief camps in Karnataka are now filled with 161,000 people, a state disaster management authority official told AFP.

"The rains have eased in the region and we think the water will soon start to recede. There are parts of northern Karnataka, coastal regions and the Western Ghats which are badly hit," the official added.

While the monsoon rains are crucial to replenishing water supplies, they kill hundreds of people every year.

Key airport closed as Indian state faces repeat flood crisis
Thiruvananthapuram, India (AFP) Aug 9, 2019 - Floods that have killed more than 20 people forced the closure of Kochi international airport Friday as the south Indian state of Kerala confronted a second straight year of crisis level downpours.

The main airport for the popular tourist state will remain closed until at least Sunday, authorities said, as rising waters took over the runways.

With predictions of freak rains continuing for several days, Kerala's chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan warned the public that dam gates may have to be opened soon.

More than 20 landslides had already been reported and high level alerts ordered in nine districts, he said, adding that several people were feared trapped under the mud.

Officials said 22 deaths had been confirmed, but media reports gave a figure of 29 dead for just Thursday.

More than 23,000 people have already moved into 315 emergency camps set up across the state, Vijayan said.

Nearly 500 people died in the 2018 floods, believed to be the worst in a century.

Experts blamed the rising waters on deforestation and the state's rapid recent urbanisation, as well as poor management of the many dams.

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