Heavy rains kill 17 in western India

Seventeen people were killed yesterday in flooding caused by torrential rains in western India including five who were sleeping in a mosque, officials said. Twelve people including a nine-year-old boy were killed in flash floods and as walls collapsed in various parts of Pune district in Maharashtra state, police said. The mosque was washed away in a rural part of the state, police official Sandip Patil told AFP. "We have recovered five bodies and are still looking for two missing people. Rescue operations are ongoing," he said.