Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who earlier this week took an aerial tour of flooded areas in northeastern Assam state, will next Tuesday tour parts of Bihar to survey relief efforts, an official said.

The worsening floods have already displaced some 11.5 million people in the two states since the annual monsoon rains began mid-June.

"The situation in Bihar is getting worse. The prime minister's visit along with a federal team will help us assess damages and work out the amount of federal relief we need," said Bihar chief secretary K.A.H Subramanian.

State disaster management official R.N Tiwari, meanwhile, told AFP that more deaths had been reported late Thursday and Friday in Bihar's worst-hit Muzaffarpur and Sitamari districts.

"At least 16 people died in the two districts due to flood-related incidents. Some of them were bitten by snakes while others drowned in boat accidents while trying to escape the floods," said Tiwari.

The latest deaths have pushed the flood toll in India since the monsoon rains began mid-June to at least 293, according to a tally compiled by AFP from figures given out by officials.

Bihar health minister Shakuni Chowdhary warned that Bihar could be staring at an epidemic as water-borne diseases were stalking displaced villagers.

"We have alerted health officials as people are suffering a host of stomach-related infections," said Chowdhary.

"We have been distributing chlorine tablets and asking people to boil their drinking water. We have sought medicines from the federal government which should be here by the weekend."

The Assam government has described the floods as the worst in 25 years and has demanded 21.56 billion rupees (479 million dollars) in federal aid.

The floods have wreaked havoc in the state, with 8,500 villages washed away, some 600 endangered animals drowned in three wildlife parks and 2,466 kilometres (1,528 miles) of highways damaged, officials say.

TERRA.WIRE