FLOOD DEATH TOLL TOPS 150
NEW DELHI: More than 150 people have died as heavy rains and floods batter Gujarat and Rajasthan.
At least 142 people have died in Gujarat since the monsoon season began last month, with most of the deaths being reported in the past four days, a state disaster management official said.
Another 16 people had died in neighbouring Rajasthan over the past few days, according to local media reports.
The floods have destroyed roads, homes and crops across large swathes of both states.
“The death toll has gone up over the past few days as many bodies have been found as the floodwaters recede in the affected areas,” Gujarat Disaster Management Chief Anuradha Mall said.
“State agencies and disaster management staff have rescued about 17,000 people and evacuated 112,878 people to safer places,” she said.
Mall said the regional weather bureau expected heavy showers over the next few days but that relief efforts, as well as search-and-rescue operations, had been stepped up.
India’s monsoon season between June and September often sees heavy rains that are vital for agriculture but can cause immense destruction.
According to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) in New Delhi, a total of 582 people have died in floods and rain-related incidents since the beginning of monsoon season in early June.
The floods have affected 57 districts across 11 states, including Assam, Orissa, West Bengal, central Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Uttarakhand.