A UK Christian humanitarian charity is taking part in relief efforts in India as the country deals with the worst flooding it's seen in a century.
Rains have been diminishing in parts of Kerala state, where floods and landslides have killed more than 200 people in less than two weeks and about 800,000 more have been forced into thousands of relief camps.
Volunteers reach out to stranded people with food supplies in a flooded area in Chengannur in the southern state of Kerala, India, Sunday, Aug.19, 2018
Torrential rains began on 8th August in the midst of the annual monsoon season, eventually leaving much of the state partially submerged.
Giovanna Reda, head of humanitarian programmes for the Asia region for Christian charity CAFOD, told Premier News Hour the situation is desperate.
She said workers are trying to do their best to access the most remote territories.
An Indian air-force helicopter on rescue mission flies through a flooded area in Chengannur in the southern state of Kerala, India, Sunday, Aug.19, 2018
"We're blessed because we're working with one of the biggest humanitarian agencies in India, Caritas," Reda added.
"We're helping them through our own funds to reach 32,000 people that are currently in distress, who are without a home, who lost everything,"
"They need to wash themselves and feed themselves. We're providing wash items, food, and shelter for them and we're especially targeting women and girls because usually in these types of emergencies they are more neglected."
A volunteer throws a pack of bread towards a family stranded in a flooded area in Chengannur in the southern state of Kerala, India, Sunday, Aug.19, 2018.
Thousands of people are taking shelter in small camps in the coastal town of Alappuzha. Many are in schools, but at least one is on the grounds of a mosque where Christians, Hindus and Muslims have all found food and a place to sleep.
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Article by Tola Mbakwe
Tola Mbakwe is a multimedia journalist for Premier.
