Fresh rains, floods kill 9 more in India, taking monsoon toll to over 450

ANKARA

At least nine people have died in different parts of India in the past 24 hours as torrential rains continue to batter the South Asian nation, officials said on Tuesday, pushing the total death toll to date in this ongoing monsoon season to over 450.

Three deaths were reported each in the western state of Maharashtra and the northern states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, as heavy downpours triggered cloudbursts, flash floods, and landslides.

In Maharashtra, over 100 people have been evacuated in the past 24 hours, according to a statement from the State Disaster Management Department on Tuesday.

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said persistent rain since Monday night has caused widespread damage in districts including Mandi, Hamirpur, and Shimla.

He confirmed that three people had died in Himachal Pradesh and that one individual remains missing.

“The rain has caused significant loss of life and property. I have directed the administration to carry out relief and rescue operations on a war footing in all affected areas,” he said.

The state, located in the Himalayan region, has been particularly hard-hit this monsoon season, which started in June.

A statement by the Himachal Pradesh disaster authorities on Tuesday said that the total rain-related deaths — including landslides — in the state alone have reached 409.

In neighboring Uttarakhand, three more deaths were recorded due to heavy rains, state broadcaster DD News reported.

A cloudburst late Monday night in the Karligaad area prompted a response from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who spoke with Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami to assess the situation.

The heavy monsoon season, which usually begins in June and ends in September, has wreaked havoc in northern India, causing a number of cloudbursts, flash floods and landslides in several areas of the country.

In the northern state of Punjab, monsoon-triggered floods have killed more than 50 people and impacted hundreds of thousands.