At least 15 people were killed in floods and landslides triggered by monsoon rains that battered northern India, with New Delhi receiving the most rainfall in decades.

The Press Trust of India reported that 15 people had been killed in the past 24 hours in six northern Indian states.

Roads in several parts of the capital were submerged in knee-deep water as it was inundated with 153 millimeters of rain, the highest precipitation in a single day in July in 40 years.

Hill states were the worst affected, leaving six dead in Himachal Pradesh alone where landslides blocked about 700 roads.

India's meteorological department has forecast more rain across large parts of northern India in coming days.

Official data shows monsoon rains across the country in the first week of July have already produced about two percent more rainfall than normal.

The summer monsoon brings South Asia 70-80 percent of its annual rainfall, as well as death and destruction due to flooding and landslides.

Source: Qatar News Agency