KOCHI (India) • The death toll from devastating floods in the southern Indian state of Kerala rose to 445 yesterday with the discovery of 28 more bodies as the waters recede and a massive cleanup gathers pace, government officials said.

Around a million people are still packed into temporary relief camps and 15 are reported missing even as the government mounts an operation to clear homes and public places of the dirt and sand left by the floods. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in a tweet said over 130,000 flood-hit houses had been cleaned, or nearly a third of those affected.

The authorities are also in the process of restoring electricity connections.

People returning to their homes have been told to stay alert as receding waters leave behind a glut of snakes. Teams have been formed to help those who have found snakes in their homes, said local media.

With the death toll rising daily, the Kerala authorities said "due process will be followed to ascertain if all these deaths are flood-related". A 68-year-old man committed suicide on Wednesday after seeing the state of his home in Kothad. A 19-year-old boy took his own life earlier because his school certificates were destroyed by the floods, police said.

The government said more than 10,000km of roads have been destroyed or damaged, while a legislator said 50,000 houses had been wiped out.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE