By Adem Salvarcioglu

(AA): The death toll from floods and landslides in the southern Indian state of Kerala has risen to 445, local media reported Sunday.

Triggered by torrential monsoon rains, the floods and landslides have affected 800,000 people, while more than 5,600 people were shifted to relief camps.

The search for 15 missing people is ongoing.

According to Chief Minister of Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan, who held a review of the relief and rehabilitation work on Sunday, 462,456 persons are still housed in 1,435 relief camps.

The floods and landslides caused $3 billion worth of losses, submerging 130,000 houses and destroying land.

However, nearly 150,000 have returned to their flood-ravaged homes; schools, colleges to reopen on August 29.

Apart from the physical challenge of clearing debris, cleaning flood ravaged buildings, sanitation and medical care, the fiscal challenges of handling the post-flood reconstruction are growing,

Monsoon rains and floods this year have claimed more than 1,000 lives across seven provinces of India, according to official estimates.

[Map of India by US Embassy in India/Public Domain]