New Delhi, June 26 (RHC)-- Authorities in India's Gujarat state have asked people to move to higher grounds as incessant monsoon rains have triggered floods and house collapses.

Heavy rains have been battering the worst-affected Saurashtra region, where more than 50 people have died in flood-related incidents. Nearly 10,000 people have been moved to higher ground, including 1,000 who were airlifted to safety.

India regularly witnesses severe floods during the monsoon season. But the ferocity of this year's monsoon in Gujarat has surprised many, according to reports from the area. Eye-witnesses say house collapses have been responsible for most of the deaths and the toll is likely to increase.

"The coastal district of Amreli was the worst affected, where 36 people succumbed to the flood fury," Gujarat's disaster control room said in a statement.