Dozens killed in India after heavy flooding and record rains

(CNN) – Record rains and heavy flooding killed at least 73 people in India this week, according to disaster management authorities.

At least 46 people lost their lives in the northern state of Uttarakhand and 27 bodies have been recovered in the southern state of Kerala, according to authorities in both states.

Uttarakhand began receiving heavy rainfall over the weekend, and the rains continued through Wednesday, causing lakes and rivers to overflow, the collapse of a bridge and the closure of services.

Aerial images of the affected areas showed overflowing rivers and villages partially submerged by the waters.

“The floods have caused great losses … the crops are destroyed,” Chief Minister of State Pushkar Singh Dhami told the ANI agency, a Reuters contributor.

“The locals have many problems, the roads are flooded, the bridges are washed away.”

Of those killed, about 25 were from the Nainital district, the worst affected area, Ashok Kumar, a senior police officer, told local media late Tuesday. At least 3,000 people had to be evacuated from a barge on the Sarda river, which overflowed on Monday, he said.

The flood comes in the midst of a religious pilgrimage called the Chardham Yatra, during which Hindus from all over India make a pilgrimage to Uttarakhand.

Up to 100 pilgrims from the western state of Gujarat were visiting Uttarakhand when the floods hit, according to Gujarat’s disaster management minister Rajendra Trivedi.

A statue of the Hindu god Shiva in the middle of the flooded Ganges River in Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India, on October 19.

Six of those pilgrims were trapped in the upper part of Kedarnath, one of the main religious sites. A helicopter was dispatched to evacuate the pilgrims, but bad weather conditions thwarted rescue efforts, Trivedi said Tuesday. By Wednesday, the water level had dropped enough for pilgrims and residents to find a safe haven.

The pilgrimage was temporarily suspended, and will resume once the rains have subsided.

Two observatories in the Kumaun region of the state, where Nainital is located, recorded 340.8 millimeters of rainfall and 403.2 millimeters respectively, which is the highest rainfall in a 24-hour period ever recorded in the region, according to the Tuesday the Indian Meteorological Department.

Indian National Disaster Response Force personnel rescue stranded civilians near Nainital, Uttarakhand, on October 20.

The Himalayan state is especially prone to flooding. More than 200 people are feared to have died in February after flash floods washed away a hydroelectric dam.

Meanwhile, torrential rains have hit Kerala since Friday, causing landslides and rivers to overflow. Heavy rains are expected to continue through Thursday, according to the state information department.

More than 200 families are currently in 26 evacuation camps across the state, and in landslide-prone areas, state authorities are urging residents to stay indoors.

– Additional information from Reuters.