Flooding and landslides triggered by intense monsoon rains have killed at least 50 people across northern and eastern India over the past three days, Reuters reported, citing authorities in the country.

The rains engulfed hundreds of villages, sweeping away homes and leaving residents stranded, while rescue teams hastily evacuated the survivors.

Earlier, the federal meteorological office had forecast that August and September were likely to see average rainfall in India, indicating overall good harvests in Asia's third-largest economy, which relies on agriculture to boost growth and create jobs.

Farming contributes about 15% to India's $2.7 trillion economy, supporting more than half of the country's population of 1.3 billion.

Heavy rains, accompanied by landslides and flooding in the Himalayan state of Himachal Pradesh over the past three days, have claimed the lives of at least 36 people, a state government official told Reuters.

In the neighboring mountainous state of Uttarakhand, an official government report said that incessant rains have killed four people and 13 are missing.

“We deployed helicopters to rescue people who were stranded in remote areas due to rain. The rescue operation is in full swing,” said Ranjit Kumar Sinha, an official at the Uttarakhand Department of Disaster Management.

In the eastern state of Odisha, at least six people have died as a result of heavy rains, a state official said.

About 800,000 people were affected by the floods in the state of Odisha, and thousands were forced to flee their homes. The rains disrupted electricity and water supplies and damaged road infrastructure.

The state evacuated 120,000 people from the affected areas. Authorities in the Ramgarh district of the eastern state of Jharkhand said five people were washed away by the swollen Nalkari River on Saturday.

So far, four bodies have been recovered, Ramgarh District Administration spokesman Madhvi Mishra said.