Over 1,200 people killed in South Asia monsoon

New Delhi : More than 1,200 people have been killed across South Asia in monsoon storms so far this year, according to figures collected by AFP as India counts the rising toll from floods that have devastated southern Kerala state.

The monsoon, which lasts from June to September, causes widespread death and destruction across South Asia each year, with the tourist hotspot of Kerala suffering its worst floods in nearly 100 years. Kerala has reported 445 deaths. The monsoon also battered Nepal, with 87 people killed since June, according to the home ministry.