Dozens of people were reported missing in the massive floods caused by monsoon rains that have swamped the normally drought-prone desert state. Eight more bodies were recovered in the 24 hours till Sunday evening while officials fear the toll may rise significantly and could cross 300.

"The death toll as of now stands at 101, out of which 66 are from Barmer district alone," said a relief department official. Barmer district, which normally receives 277 mm of rainfall for the whole year on an average, has recorded 577 mm since Aug 19.

Rescue and relief operations were on in the affected regions as villages were marooned. Navy divers and army troops joined in to rescue hundreds of people who had taken shelter atop houses, vehicles and sand dunes. "Divers from the Indian Navy are helping us to locate missing people in Barmer district," Relief Minister Kirori Lal Meena told IANS in capital Jaipur.

Over 800,000 of Barmer's two million population were reported to have been affected due to the rains. There are reports of large-scale damage to houses and property and 47,000 cattle's have perished in floods in Barmer, officials said.

According to unconfirmed reports, 5,200 houses were damaged and crop worth Rs.300 million was completely wiped out. Meanwhile, draining out the floodwater has become a problem for authorities. The state government has set up a task force to suggest ways to get rid of the water as well as to utilise and restore it.

"We have set up a special task force comprising seven senior officials to suggest ways to drain out water," Meena said. Some villages in the district were still submerged under 20-25-foot waters and it was difficult to drain this water, as the land is full of gypsum that does not absorb water easily.