Death toll continues to rise after monsoon downpours flood India
By
Lauren Fox, AccuWeather staff writer
Updated Jul 26, 2021 11:34 AM EDT
Heavy rains in western Maharashtra state triggered landslides and flooding, killing more than 100 people and causing widespread destruction.
Heavy monsoon downpours led to over 150 deaths in western India last week, and the weather pattern over the next few weeks could continue to keep the region at-risk of dangerous flooding and landslides.
Rescue teams traveled through floodwater and debris on Saturday as the search for more survivors continued. According to The Independent, the death toll in the region as a result of the monsoon conditions grew to at least 164 on Monday.
Ninety-two deaths were a result of just four landslides that occurred in the Raigad and Ratnagiri districts on Thursday and Friday, local time, The Independent reported.
According to the government in the western state of Maharashtra, 90,000 people were rescued from the areas affected by flooding. Some residents that survived were able to be rescued by standing on rooftops and buses that were stopped on highways.
"About 40 people are still trapped. The possibility of rescuing them alive is thin as they've been trapped in mud for more than 36 hours," an anonymous official told Reuters.
More than 30 missing people were declared dead on Monday in the Raigad district's Taliye village after rescue operations ceased, according to The Times of India.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the situation in Maharashtra on Twitter, and said it is being heavily monitored and that assistance is being provided to affected individuals.
Last week, 72 inches of rain were reported from Mahabaleshwar, located on top of the Western Ghats mountain range in western Maharashtra. According to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Jim Andrews, this rain likely played a role in the deadly flooding and landslides that ended the past week in western India.
"This torrential rain here and elsewhere along the mountains would have sent sheets of runoff cascading downhill to the coast," he said. "This likely accounts for flood reports out of western Maharashtra."
While the results of the flooding are catastrophic, AccuWeather Meteorologist Rob Richards said western India typically sees heavy flooding around this time of year, and could even continue to see more in the following weeks.
"This is typical for this time of the year in western India due the ongoing monsoon which produce heavy rains that could produce flash flooding and landslides," Richards said. "This will continue at times over the next several weeks since we are in monsoon season."
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier, Spectrum, FuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios.
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News / Severe Weather
Death toll continues to rise after monsoon downpours flood India
By Lauren Fox, AccuWeather staff writer
Updated Jul 26, 2021 11:34 AM EDT
Heavy rains in western Maharashtra state triggered landslides and flooding, killing more than 100 people and causing widespread destruction.
Heavy monsoon downpours led to over 150 deaths in western India last week, and the weather pattern over the next few weeks could continue to keep the region at-risk of dangerous flooding and landslides.
Rescue teams traveled through floodwater and debris on Saturday as the search for more survivors continued. According to The Independent, the death toll in the region as a result of the monsoon conditions grew to at least 164 on Monday.
Ninety-two deaths were a result of just four landslides that occurred in the Raigad and Ratnagiri districts on Thursday and Friday, local time, The Independent reported.
According to the government in the western state of Maharashtra, 90,000 people were rescued from the areas affected by flooding. Some residents that survived were able to be rescued by standing on rooftops and buses that were stopped on highways.
"About 40 people are still trapped. The possibility of rescuing them alive is thin as they've been trapped in mud for more than 36 hours," an anonymous official told Reuters.
More than 30 missing people were declared dead on Monday in the Raigad district's Taliye village after rescue operations ceased, according to The Times of India.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the situation in Maharashtra on Twitter, and said it is being heavily monitored and that assistance is being provided to affected individuals.
Last week, 72 inches of rain were reported from Mahabaleshwar, located on top of the Western Ghats mountain range in western Maharashtra. According to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Jim Andrews, this rain likely played a role in the deadly flooding and landslides that ended the past week in western India.
"This torrential rain here and elsewhere along the mountains would have sent sheets of runoff cascading downhill to the coast," he said. "This likely accounts for flood reports out of western Maharashtra."
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While the results of the flooding are catastrophic, AccuWeather Meteorologist Rob Richards said western India typically sees heavy flooding around this time of year, and could even continue to see more in the following weeks.
"This is typical for this time of the year in western India due the ongoing monsoon which produce heavy rains that could produce flash flooding and landslides," Richards said. "This will continue at times over the next several weeks since we are in monsoon season."
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier, Spectrum, FuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo