1.
LS Scene of floods
0.05

2.
TS People walk through floods in village
0.10

3.
MS Boys in rowing boat (2 shots)
0.26

4.
TS Shops and houses with floods in streets (2 shots)
0.46

5.
MS Man stranded by flood
0.51

6.
MS Cows stranded by flood
0.56

7.
MS Children on rooftop (2 shots)
1.02

8.
MS Man wades through water to doorway
1.09

9.
MS People standing on roof
1.10

10.
MS Man comes out of gateway in water up to waist
1.17

11.
MS Men wade through water.
1.25

12.
LS People queue for grain (3 shots)
1.42

13.
MCS Grain off-loaded from lorry
1.52

14.
CU Grain being distributed.
2.00

15.
MCS Women collect grain
2.05



Initials BB/2328 WLW/BH/BB/2352



Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: Seven hundred people have died in West Bengal in the past few weeks after severe monsoon flooding and a cholera outbreak caused by polluted flood-waters. This film, shot at various points near the West Bengal border with East Pakistan, shows some of the damage caused.

SYNOPSIS: In West Bengal monsoon floods have killed hundreds of people in the past few weeks, and about a hundred are known to have died in one cholera outbreak caused by polluted flood-waters. Several hundred thousand are known to be homeless throughout the state, and the death and damage tolls continue to rise although the rivers are now beginning to subside.

Army and civilian medical teams have been rushed to some stricken areas to carry out inoculation programmes in an attempt to halt the spread of disease-- especially cholera. Precise figures of casualties are difficult to establish, as the devastation is spread over a wide area and communications are difficult. Several districts were still marooned last weekend.

Emergency food supplies have been rushed to the stricken areas, many of which have borne the brunt of an influx of more than eight million refugees from East Pakistan in the past five months. Crops valued at hundreds of millions of pounds (sterling) have been destroyed over a wide area of several states, and state governments have appealed to Indian Prime Minister Mrs. Indira Gandhi for help.