Twenty-eight people drowned and 12 others were missing when a boat carrying rescue workers and evacuees in sodden northern India split apart, the Press Trust of India reported, bringing the nationwide death toll from the deluge to nearly 1,000, according to officials and local reports.

In eastern India, villagers clutching meagre belongings fled their dwellings as soldiers helped in rescue efforts. Some perched on rooftops while others scrambled up trees to get out of the way of rushing flood waters.