Record rainfall leaves devastation across India

Around 40 people have died following unprecedented rainfall in in India

Several people have been reported missing in Uttarakhand, sparking concerns that the actual toll is likely to be higher.

Teams have been sent out to assess the damage, but are struggling with access.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed his condolences over the loss of lives. He says he is praying for “everyone’s safety and well-being.”

Authorities ordered the closure of schools and banned all religious and tourist activities in the state

Television footage and social media videos showed residents wading through knee-deep water near Nainital lake, a tourist hotspot, and the Ganges bursting its banks in Rishikesh.

The nation’s weather department has issued a red alert for the region, with a forecast of heavy to very heavy rainfall across the state.

More than 100 tourists were stuck inside a resort in Ramgarh after the overflowing Kosi river deluged several areas.

Landslides are a regular danger in India’s Himalayan north, but experts said they are becoming more common as rains become increasingly erratic and glaciers melt.

Experts also blamed construction work on hydroelectric dams and deforestation.

In February, a ferocious flash flood hurtled down a remote valley in Uttarakhand, killing about 200 people. At least 5,700 people perished there in 2013.