One million pack India flood relief camps

More than one million people have swarmed relief camps in India’s Kerala state to escape devastating monsoon floods that have killed more than 410 people, officials said Tuesday as a huge international aid operation gathered pace.

People are flocking to camps as the scale of the desolation is revealed by receding waters and the military rescues more people each day. The Kerala government said 1,028,000 people are now in about 3,200 relief camps across the southern state. Officials said six more bodies were found Monday, taking the death toll to more than 410 since the monsoon started in June.

Kerala authorities say they are desperate for funds and the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday promised $100 million in aid, Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan announced after telephone talks with UAE leaders.

The amount is more than the $97 million so far promised by India’s central government. Vijayan demanded a $375 million package from the government, saying the state must confront more than $3 billion in devastation.