By. Olivia Williams. PUBLISHED:. 12:31 EST, 17 June 2013. |. UPDATED:. 16:36 EST, 17 June 2013. At least 23 people have died and 50 more remain missing after torrential downpours in northern India swept away roads, buildings and vehicles. One building collapse today killed at least three people who were washed. away when an entire apartment block toppled into a river, a. government spokesman said. Most of the destruction is concentrated in the state of Uttarakhand, where the Ganges river and its tributaries are flowing at dangerously high levels. Scroll down for video. Heavy monsoon rain left locals in Uttrakhand state, in the foothills of the Himalayas, fearing for their lives as fast-moving water swept away whole buildings. The swollen rivers have toppled buildings and other vehicles, which are drifting downstream, causing more destruction. River water topped houses and streets, forcing residents of flooded towns to wait for rescue on their rooftops. More than a dozen people have died in. the state's Rudraprayag district alone, while another 50 people were. missing, according to Amit Negi, an official in Uttarakhand. Another landslide triggered by the monsoon rains buried a bus, killing three people in Almora district. Adding to the crisis, many more people have been left totally stranded in their homes by collapsing roads and bridges. Torrential downpours left Sikh devotees from a temple looking for anywhere safe to stand on a destroyed road in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand. Thousands of residents across Uttrakhand have been left stranded as roads and buildings were swept away in front of them. Heavy rains in the foothills of the Himalayas mean many residents have abandoned their homes and possessions. More than 10,000 pilgrims on a mountain pass leading to a Hindu religious site had to be evacuated by helicopter after roads to the pilgrimage spot were unusable. In response, army and paramilitary troops are leading efforts to rescue scores of people from the rooftops of their flooded homes. The state government has prepared food. parcels and drinking water pouches to be air dropped to villages cut off. now that so many roads were washed away. Casualty figures are expected to rise as the rains continue and missing people are accounted for. Authorities are preparing to evacuate people from the worst-hit areas to relief camps as many villages have become entirely cut-off. The strength of the current in the flood waters of the Bhagirathi River have swept along trucks and entirely submerged houses. 'The situation is very grim. The meteorological office has predicted that the rain will continue for another three days at least,' an official said today. State authorities were also preparing to evacuate people from the worst-hit districts to relief camps, he said. Flood warnings have been issued across Udhampur district and in the Hindu holy city of Haridwar as rivers breached their banks. India's capital, Delhi, has also been hit by the heavy rains as many roads were flooded after recent blistering summer heat. Even major roads have been struggling to cope with the amount of water, as rivers breached their banks. With the heavy rains expected to last another three days, emergency services will struggle to reach stranded residents in need of food and water. The army has tried to rescue residents in the worst affected areas but many routes are impassible from the flood damage. Delhi airport was affected after. more than four inches of rain fell in five hours on Sunday afternoon. Passengers were seen having to wade knee-deep in water to get to Terminal 3. The flooding is an annual occurrence in India, which depends on the monsoon rains for agriculture. The heavy downpours often cause loss of life and property and has come two weeks early this year.

Write highlights.
Floods in northern India have washed away whole buildings, roads and vehicles. More than 10,000 pilgrims were left stranded on a mountain pass as many roads become impassible. The River Ganges and tributaries are flowing above danger level in several areas of Uttarakhand state.

Problem: By. Andrew Levy. Teachers should not ignore children who remain silent or deny abuse, the Children's Commissioner has warned (library image) Child abuse victims ‘all too easily become invisible’ because teachers and social workers expect youngsters to tell them if they are having problems, the Children’s Commissioner is warning. Adults in schools and other professional settings have a ‘duty to protect’ children – but too often they take a child’s silence or denials as ‘a reason for doing nothing further’, Maggie Atkinson said. Young people often fail to seek help because they assume what is happening to them is normal, blame themselves for it or fear the consequences of speaking out, according to research commissioned by Dr Atkinson. Common sense recommendations in a report accompanying the research include adults ‘not relying unduly on children telling them verbally before providing help’. The report, published today, follows a string of tragic cases where children have died after suffering appalling abuse at home. They include Daniel Pelka, four, who was tortured to death by his mother and her partner when teachers, medics, social workers and welfare officers failed to ‘think the unthinkable’. Despite numerous referrals to children’s services at Coventry City Council, social workers concluded on four occasions that he was not at risk. In another recent case, Keanu Williams died after months of abuse by his mother. The two-year-old, who was found with 37 injuries, had been to A&E and his GP at least 12 times and nursery staff were made aware of signs of neglect and abuse. But agencies in Birmingham believed his mother’s claims that he had simply picked up bumps and bruises. A serious case review found they had been ‘unwilling to challenge’ or show ‘professional curiosity’. Dr Atkinson, a government-appointed adviser whose role is to champion the interests of young people, said: ‘Sadly, far too many children continue to suffer physical and emotional abuse and neglect at the hands of adults and far too many professionals with whom they come into contact, who have a duty to protect them, fail to do so. Dr Maggie Atkinson, pictured, wrote the report following a string of cases where children died after suffering abuse at home. 'Children often don’t understand they. are being abused. If they are old enough to do so, it takes incredible. courage for them to overcome the barriers to talk to someone about it. ‘So. those with responsibility for protecting them must take heed of the. practical advice and recommendations in this report and improve the way. they identify and work with children who may be being abused.’ Dr. Atkinson added: ‘Children all too easily become invisible. ‘If children do not talk about abuse, their silence is not a reason to do nothing further. The onus cannot be on them to come forward.’ Researchers found the most common way. that abused children came to the attention of their school or social. workers was through their behaviour and attitude, rather than seeking. help. Daniel Pelka, aged four, died severely malnourished after being starved in the months leading up to his death by his mother and stepfather. The report said: ‘It is important for professionals to notice signs and symptoms of children and young people’s distress at any age and not to rely unduly upon the child or young person to talk about their abuse. ‘A significant risk of reliance on verbal telling is that a child’s silence or denial means that abuse is not pursued.’ In the report, adults are advised to ‘be curious and concerned about young people who appear to be struggling’ and ‘be aware of the reasons why children and young people might avoid telling or deny that there is a difficulty’. Keanu Williams, pictured, died on January 9, 2011, after being admitted to hospital with multiple injuries.
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Answer:
Adults in a position of authority or care take children's silence as a reason to doing nothing, Children's Commissioner Maggie Atkinson has said. Dr Atkinson said in report published on Tuesday that young people often fail to seek help because they assume what is happening to them is normal. Report follows string of cases where children have died after suffering appalling abuse at home - including Daniel Pelka and Keanu Williams.