Torrential monsoon rains in northeastern India have triggered deadly landslides and floods, sweeping away homes and killing at least five people in Assam, disaster officials reported on Saturday.

The deaths, confirmed by the Assam State Disaster Management Authority, mark the first fatalities of this year’s monsoon season, which typically claims dozens of lives across India each year. India’s monsoon season, spanning June to September, brings crucial rainfall that replenishes water supplies and provides relief from the searing summer heat. However, it also unleashes destruction, with swollen rivers and landslides causing widespread damage.

In Assam, continuous rainfall over the past three days has led to severe flooding in urban and rural areas alike. The Brahmaputra River and its tributaries have burst their banks, inundating large swathes of land. A red alert has been issued for 12 districts, with Guwahati, the state capital, among the hardest-hit areas. City authorities have disconnected electricity in several districts to reduce the risk of electrocution, while hundreds of families in low-lying neighborhoods have been forced to evacuate.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said rescue teams have been deployed and relief measures are underway. “We have been reviewing the situation for the last three days,” he said in a statement, adding that rice supplies have been sent as part of food aid to affected communities.

The monsoon, a massive sea breeze that delivers 70-80% of South Asia’s annual rainfall, is critical for agriculture but often deadly. Scientists warn that climate change is intensifying extreme weather events across the region, though the exact impact on the complex monsoon system remains under study.

Meanwhile, the monsoon arrived unusually early this year in Mumbai, India’s financial capital, with heavy rains swamping the city on Monday — nearly two weeks ahead of schedule and the earliest arrival in almost 25 years, according to weather forecasters.