Early monsoon strikes India

Heavy monsoon rains trigger flash floods across northern India, leaving thousands of people stranded as roads, bridges, and villages succumb to the water.

In one area, 11 people are dead and 50 more missing after the rain eroded soil and several houses plunged into the swollen Ganga River in Uttarakhand Province.

Officials in New Delhi say the early arrival of the Monsoon season has also left tourists stranded.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) INSPECTOR GENERAL, NATIONAL DISASTER RESPONSE FORCE (NDRF), SANDEEP RATHORE, SAYING:

"So we had lot of physical damage as such and most of the tourist, which were travelling in the touristic destination, the month of June is used for the travel to the four pilgrims, the shrines of Himkund, Badrinath and Kedarnath. Most of these people, because of heavy rain and downpour they were stuck in most of these places."

The rains are crucial for Indian farm output and economic growth.

But their early arrival threatens to disrupt t