Kerala woman refuses to leave flooded house without her 25 dogs

A woman refused to leave her flooded house in India’s Kerala state without her 25 dogs, a rescuer said Saturday, as the death toll continued to rise.

The dogs were found cowering on beds in the flooded house with water rising when an animal welfare group arrived for a last-gasp rescue, said Sally Varma of Humane Society International.

The woman, who uses only one name Sunitha, was found by rescuers in Thrissur, one of the districts worst hit by floods in Kerala that have left at least 385 dead.

But she refused to leave her house unless her dogs, all strays or abandoned pets, were taken too, Varma told AFP.