BARMER, India (AFP) -- At least 93 people were killed and dozens more are missing in massive floods caused by monsoon rains that have swamped the normally drought-prone desert state of Rajasthan, reports said.

Eight more bodies were recovered Sunday in the state's Barmer district, where the majority of the flood-related deaths have occurred, the Press Trust of India news agency reported.

The district is near the border with Pakistan, or about 887 kilometres (549 miles) west of the Indian capital New Delhi.

State officials, citing the numbers of people still missing, said Sunday that the death toll could reach as high as 300, the report said.

Government officials had announced Saturday that 51 bodies had been recovered from Barmer, where vast swathes of land remained under water according to aerial footage shown on Indian television.

"Since the floods began, 51 dead bodies have been found in Barmer. The search is on for 50 (more) people," said Rajendra Singh Rathore, the state's public works minister, according to PTI.

Navy divers and army troops had been called in to rescue around 200 people who had taken shelter atop houses, vehicles and sand dunes after the unusually heavy rains in the desert region, Rathore added.

The army had flown nearly 3,500 people by helicopter to higher ground. Rathore said around 47,000 animals had also been found dead.

In Barmer's Kawas village, the rains initially brought cheer last week, providing relief from a drought that had lasted for six years. But residents said bloated bodies of people and animals were now floating in the water.

Earlier this month, more than 10 million people were affected by floods in four states. Western Gujarat state faced the brunt with its diamond-polishing hub of Surat remaining under water for five days.