Early and abnormally heavy monsoon rains in northern India caused the Ganges River to flood, leaving tens of thousands stranded and at least 73 dead.

The worst hit region is the state of Uttarakhand, where the flooding collapsed roads or otherwise made them impassible, stranding more than 71,000, according to the Hindustan Times. In the state of Himachal Pradesh 1,700 were reported stranded.

Roads, bridges, houses and multiple story buildings have been washed away or destroyed by water-induced damage.

India's National Disaster Management Authority deployed 12 teams of 45 people each to assist with recovery and rescue efforts. Army and border police are involved as well.

"We are on a war footing, we are working day and night," Uttarkashi district official R. Rajesh Kumar said, according to Reuters. In his district the flooding has blocked two national highways.

Within Uttarakhand, the municipality of Rudraprayag suffered severe damage, including the loss of 20 lives and 73 buildings, 40 of which were hotels along the riverside swept away by the flooding river, the Times reported.

Among the dead in Uttarakhand were four members of the same family who died after their home was hit by a landslide as they slept, according to the Australian Broadcasting Channel.

Tens of thousands of pilgrims bound for the Himalayan shrines of Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunotri, as well as tourists are among the stranded.

The rains are reportedly at least twice as heavy as usual for the annual monsoon in central and northern India, which historically lasts from June to September. India's farmers rely on the annual monsoon for a successful planting season. As one of the world's largest consumers and producers of grains, more than half of Indians rely on the monsoon for water, according to a Reuters report.

India's summer sowing season is not yet in full swing, so annual crops of rice, sugar and cotton have not been badly affected, Reuters reported. However, if flood waters are slow to recede, stagnant water can delay the sowing of crops or damage early rice shoots.

The rains are expected to ease by next week.

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