BHUBANESHWAR (India) - FLOODWATERS swept away a bus while it crossed a small bridge in eastern India, drowning at least seven people, an official said on Tuesday.

Rescuers searched for an additional 15 people who were missing following Monday night's accident in the Nayagarh district of Orissa state, said top local administrator K.C. Jena.

Some of the 20 people rescued from the Besalia river said the driver had ignored warnings from passengers not to cross the bridge because it was submerged by floodwaters, Mr Jena told The Associated Press.

Nayagarh is about 75 miles (120 kilometres) west of the Orissa state capital Bhubaneshwar.

Heavy monsoon rains in the state have killed 12 people since Sunday, state officials said.

Scores of villages in India's northeastern Assam state also have been inundated, leaving nearly 500,000 people homeless.

The monsoon season in India begins in June and ends in September. -- AP