India monsoon death toll at 159 |
Monsoon`s incessant rains along India`s western coast has led to severe flooding and landslides, killing 159 as of 25th July. The western coast has been inundated by torrential rains since 22nd July, with the India Meteorological Department warning of further downpours over the next few days. Flooding and landslides are common during the Indian monsoon, often causing poorly constructed buildings to buckle with non-stop rains that continue for days. In Maharashtra state, 149 people have been killed, including more than 40 in a large landslide that hit the hillside village of Taliye, some 155 miles southeast of Mumbai. Some 230,000 people were evacuated across Maharashtra, and rescuers were being helped by excavators in waist-deep mud to search for 100 people still missing. In neighbouring state of Goa, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant called the floods the worst since 1982. In the coastal plains spanning Maharashtra and Goa, floodwater levels remained elevated after rivers burst their banks and forced terrified residents to seek safety on rooftops and upper floors. In the state of Karnataka, the death toll rose to nine, with four others missing. Power supply was disrupted in the 11 affected districts and there were crop losses across vast swathes of land. Observers say that in recent years, the impact of climate change on monsoons in India has been much more obvious.
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