Flash floods kill 27 in south India

Flash floods have claimed at least 27 lives in the southern Indian state of Kerala, officials said Friday, prompting the US to advise its citizens to stay away from the tourist hot-spot.

The coastal state, famed for its pristine palm-lined beaches and tea plantations, is battered by the annual monsoon every year but the rains have been particularly severe this season.

Nationwide, more than 700 people have been killed in monsoon flooding. Last year 1,200 people perished

Source: National News Agency