India's Cyclone Phailin: Thousands marooned by floods

BBC: Workers are battling to rescue tens of thousands of people marooned by rising flood waters in Orissa, after the state was hit by the strongest cyclone in 14 years. Flood waters have left nearly 100,000 people stranded in Mayurbhanj and Balasore districts, officials say.

Twenty-seven people were killed in the cyclone and floods - all but one of the deaths were in Orissa. A flood alert has been also sounded in the neighbouring state of Bihar.

There are fears of heavy rainfall in at least two dozen districts after the weakened storm changed course and moved towards northern parts of Bihar bordering Nepal, officials say.

Cyclone Phailin crashed into eastern India over the weekend and flattened many coastal homes, uprooted trees and blocked roads in Orissa and Andhra Pradesh states.

But the evacuation effort - described by officials as "the biggest in India's history for such an event" - ensured the death toll remained low....