Around 1,000 people are now known to have died in devastating flash floods and landslides triggered by monsoon rains in northern India, a top disaster official said Monday.

"The official information with us is that about 1,000 people have died," Yashpal Arya, the disaster relief minister for the worst-hit state of Uttarakhand, told AFP.

"It is difficult to say if the toll is higher because our focus is currently on rescuing those stranded," he added.