Death toll from heavy rains in India rises to more than 80
New Delhi, Oct 20 (EFE).- More than 80 people have lost their lives after heavy rains triggered floods caused destructions in parts of India over the weekend, officials said Wednesday.
Incessant rains have wreaked havoc in southern Kerala and northern Uttarakhand states for the past several days.
Disaster management agency head SA Murugesan told EFE that 46 people have died in Uttarakhand and around a dozen people remain missing.
He said the rescue and relief operation was on and the figure might increase.
Murugesan said the roads remain closed and a dozen houses have suffered damages in the region due to the rain-triggered landslides in the mountainous state.
Images published by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) show relief teams evacuating people trapped in the floodwaters after record-breaking rainfall caused widespread destruction in the state over the past couple of days.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said his government would provide financial relief of 400,000 rupees (almost $5,500 ) for the families of the deceased.
Dhami posted a video on his Twitter account, saying rains have inflicted “massive damage” across the state.
The chief minister recorded the video after he visited the hilly Kumaon region, one of the worst-hit in the state.
The Indian Meteorological Department said the rainfall was expected to ease significantly from Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the southern state of Kerala said the death toll due to heavy rains has reached 35 deaths even as a disaster management official said the situation “is under control.”
However, the official said more rains could hit Kerala late Wednesday.
“Concrete measures have been taken,” he said, adding rescue teams have already taken were at alert to prevent more damage.
Although landslides and floods are common during the monsoons in South Asia, resulting in significant loss of life and property, Kerala has been particularly affected in recent years.
Between May and August 2018, torrential rains resulted in the worst floods in about a century in Kerala, causing at least 370 deaths.
A year later, heavy rains left 76 dead in the same region. EFE
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