- Wednesday, April 24, 2024
By: Shubham Ghosh
THIRTY-SIX people have lost their lives in landslides in the western Indian state of Maharashtra caused by heavy rains, official sources said Friday (23). Dozens were also feared to be trapped.
A local administrative official in Raigad district of Maharashtra told AFP that three landslides hit the region as uninterrupted rain left thousands stranded in the state, which is also home to India’s financial capital Mumbai. Raigad district collector Nidhi Chaudhary said 32 people were killed at Taliye village while four died in Mahad city, ANI news agency reported.
“At least 35 to 40 people are still trapped, we are trying to rescue them,” the official said.
Rescue teams were having a difficult time in recovering bodies from under debris because of heavy downpour and visibility hindrances. The Indian navy and the National Disaster Management Force joined the rescue teams who were struggling to discover the bodies in Raigad.
Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray called an emergency meeting over the situation where he asked officials to provide immediate aid to those who have been hit by the disaster, local reports added.
Indian prime minister Narendra Modi also spoke to Thackeray to take stock of the situation and assured full support.
The affected region has been completely cut off after bridges and mobile towers collapsed in the flooding. The authorities asked the stranded residents to go to their rooftops so that rescuers coming in helicopters could see them since boats were not able to reach them.
Maharashtra is experiencing its heaviest monsoon season in July in 40 years which, according to experts, is a direct result of climate change.
In Mumbai, two persons died while 10 were injured on Friday after a residential structure crumbled in the city’s Govandi area. Train services, which are considered the lifeline of Mumbai, were suspended while its low-lying areas were completely inundated.
