VILLAGERS in Uttarakhand, northern India, have described to Christian Aid how they woke last month to find floodwaters rising in their homes, and fled with just the clothes they were wearing.

On 15 June, in the course of just 24 hours, more than 240mm of rain fell in the high Himalayan region, resulting in floods and landslides that left more than 800 people dead. Government officials believe that the total lives lost could number 5000. Officials report that many bodies may have been washed away or buried. The Indian government has promised to compensate families.

More than 100,000 people have been rescued, and officials report that nearly 3000 people are still missing. Entire villages have been destroyed. Many of those evacuated were pilgrims and tourists visiting shrines in the region during peak season. On Tuesday, the BBC reported that the last of the stranded pilgrims had been evacuated.

On Tuesday, Melanie Smith, a press officer at Christian Aid, spoke from Uttarkashi, where she is visiting families supported by the charity's local partner, Church's Auxiliary for Social Action (CASA). CASA is currently helping 1200 households with food, first-aid kits, and medicine.

"I met with the community and they were saying how their homes are right next to river which swelled," she said. "When the rains came, it was very early in the morning; so most of them were in bed. One lady heard a loud bang and saw out of her window debris coming down the river. It's quite a common story. People went downstairs, and already water was gushing through their homes, taking everything with it. One woman saw her livestock, her livelihood, and her belongings washed away. Quite a lot of people just ran with the clothes on their backs.

"I asked these communities if they would go back to their homes and they said: 'No, we want to be relocated.' They are too scared to go back."

Through CASA, Christian Aid was providing immediate relief, she said, but it would also look at long-term recovery, addressing the issues of shelter and livelihood. An Indian Floods Appeal has been launched.

The early monsoon rains are believed to be the heaviest for 80 years. The disaster has prompted debate about causation. Ms Smith said that people had told her that hotels had been built on flood plains. They had also mentioned climate change.

Last month, the head of the department of environmental studies at Delhi University, Maharaj Pandit, told the New Scientist: "The current devastation and human misery is largely man-made." He spoke of "rampant unauthorised and mindless building activities on the river flood-plains in the Himalaya".