Floods recede, but Asian death toll rises to 311

Water levels in several northern India rivers fell today as heavy monsoon rains eased, but the death toll across South Asia from recent floods reached 311 amid fears of an outbreak of diarrhoea and other waterborne diseases.

Thirteen bodies surfaced in eastern Bihar state as six major rivers started receding after creating havoc in 19 of 36 districts of the state for a week, Manoj Srivastava, the state disaster management secretary, said today.