India, Oct. 6 -- The death toll in the north Bengal flood rose to 27 after nine more bodies were recovered from Jalpaiguri district since Sunday, officials aware of the developments said on Monday. At least six persons are still reported missing from Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling, the two worst-hit districts.

The flood, caused by extremely heavy rainfall triggered more than 400 landslides in the two hill-districts of Darjeeling and Kalimpong and inundated large areas in the districts of Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar, located in the Himalayan foothills, damaging roads, bridges and houses.

Several people were injured and a few thousand have been rendered homeless.

"It was a man-made flood. While on one hand there has been extremely heavy rains s...