India issued a fresh flood alert Wednesday for parts of the southern state of Kerala, as the nationwide death toll from the annual monsoon deluge rose to at least 244.
Authorities warned Kerala locals of heavy rainfall over the next 24-48 hours in some of the worst affected regions of the state popular with tourists.
Heavy rain in parts of four Indian states -- Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Gujarat -- has forced more than 1.2 million people to leave their homes, mostly for government-run relief camps.