At least 16 people were killed and around 100 people are feared trapped following a landslide in Raigad district of Maharashtra on Thursday as rain-related deaths in the country rose to 685.
The National Disaster Response Force rescued several people but still around 100 people are feared trapped inside the landslide, according to the Press Trust of India. Himachal Pradesh and Uttrakhand are considered worst affected as both the states located in the hills registered 130 deaths each since the first week of June.
The National Disaster Response Force and local police and rescue teams are still searching for several missing persons in both the states devastated by incessant rains and resultant flooding and landslides. Thousands of people have been evacuated to safer places or put up in shelter homes. Other states that reported deaths due to rains according to an earlier government data and local reports include Gujarat (103), Karnataka (87), Uttar Pradesh (64), Assam (38), Punjab (38), Rajasthan (36), Haryana (35) and Jammu and Kashmir (8). In addition massive destruction to properties, infrastructure, houses and loss of harvest were also reported. Indian capital New Delhi also suffered in the last few days due to incessant rains and raising water level of Yamuna River as many roads, public places and houses were under the water and schools were shut. The India Meteorological Department also warned of heavy to very heavy rainfall in many places across Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, Himachal, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, and Odisha and Madhya Pradesh in the coming days.
Source: Kuwait News Agency
