Indian Home Minister Says Flood Death Toll to Rise

India’s home minister says the death toll in the part of the country could exceed 1,000 as soldiers clear debris from towns and villages flattened by landslides and monsoon flooding.

Sushilkumar Shinde said the number of people killed in the floods that washed away thousands of homes could go beyond the 1,000 deaths already reported by the government in Uttarakhand state.

Army officials suspended rescue operations after bad weather early Monday reduced visibility in the area. More than 10,000 people were still stranded, many of them in the temple town of Badrinath.

Unprecedented torrential rains triggered landslides and floods in the Ganges River last week washing away houses and roads, and cutting communication links with large parts of Uttarakhand.