Death Toll Rises to 95 as Thousands Evacuated
At least 95 people have been killed by monsoon flooding in southern and western India, while hundreds of thousands have been evacuated from their homes, according to reports. More than 40 of those killed were in the south-western state of Kerala. The flooding and landslides caused by the heavy seasonal rainfall have left some areas cut off.
Officials have called on those affected to try to seek shelter on higher ground.
India is affected by monsoon rains between June and September.
While crucial to replenishing water supplies, the heavy rainfall also results in death and destruction each year. Disaster management officials said more than 100,000 people in Kerala had been evacuated into emergency relief camps, while more than 40 had been killed. “There are around 80 places where flood and rains have triggered mudslides, which we cannot reach,” state Police spokesperson Pramod Kumar told AFP news agency. In neighbouring Karnataka, at least 24 people have been killed with nine people missing. The western states of Maharashtra and Gujarat have also been badly hit by annual monsoon storms.
Media reports said at least 27 people have lost their lives in Maharashtra, with several major roads closed by the flooding.
More than 300,000 people have been evacuated or rescued across the three states.
The chief minister of the state of Karnataka, home to India’s technology hub, Bengaluru, said the floods were the worst in the state in 45 years, Reuters News Agency reported.
Storm accidents also killed at least eight people in the key Gujarat cities of Ahmedabad and Nadiad in western India.