Two million flee Indian floods

Fresh rains hampered a military air operation to help flood victims in northeastern India, where more than two million people have been forced from their homes, officials said on Wednesday.

Disaster management chiefs overseeing the aid effort in Assam state also said the number of people killed in flood-related incidents had reached 18 with five more such casualties reported in the last 24 hours. It is the third time this year that the region has been hit by mass flooding.