Fatal riots follow floods

Kalyani - Riots broke out in eastern India yesterday as heavy showers drenched the region, taking the death toll from monsoon…

Kalyani - Riots broke out in eastern India yesterday as heavy showers drenched the region, taking the death toll from monsoon flooding to 457. Police said one person was killed in the poverty-stricken state of Bihar as angry victims in a floodhit village turned violent while trying to enrol on a government relief list.

A police official said a scuffle broke out when about 200 people gathered in the village. "After the scuffle among the villagers, there was firing which killed one person," a police superintendent said.

In neighbouring West Bengal, more than 200 people were missing and nearly five million houses damaged by the floods.