India deploys troops in south as floods kill dozens

Men make their way down a flooded street following heavy rain in Chennai on November 16, 2015. - AFP

Chennai (India) (AFP) - India has deployed the army and air force to rescue flood-hit residents in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, where at least 71 people have died in around a week of torrential rains.

Media reports said military helicopters were being used to drop food and drinking water to the worst-hit areas, while schools and businesses in state capital Chennai had been forced to close.