At least 40 people have died and many have gone missing over the past three days in flash floods triggered by heavy monsoon rains in northern India, the Associated Press reported, citing Indian authorities.

The rains inundated hundreds of villages, destroyed houses and bridges and flooded roads in the states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

The Meteorological Service predicts that heavy rainfall will continue in the region for the next two days.

An official government announcement said at least 36 people had died in the past three days in floods and landslides in the Himalayan state of Himachal Pradesh.

Hundreds have been forced to flee their homes and seek shelter in temporary camps.

A series of flash storms in the neighboring state of Uttarakhand have killed four people and left 13 missing after rivers burst their banks and destroyed several houses.

Rescue teams are evacuating the affected residents of the two states.

During the monsoon season, which lasts from June to September, disaster often occurs in the Indian part of the Himalayas, AP notes.

According to scientists, natural disasters will become more frequent because global warming contributes to the melting of glaciers in the mountain range.

Last year, flash floods killed nearly 200 people and destroyed many homes.

At least 116 people in India and Nepal have died in floods and landslides