Western India floods death toll climbs past 130

New Delhi, Jul 24 (EFE).- Indian officials announced on Saturday that at least 138 people have died as a result of accidents related to heavy rains and flooding in the state of Maharashtra, in western India, raising the death toll threefold in the past 24 hours.

The rains have affected several Maharashtra districts during the past week, especially the rural areas of Raigad and Konkan, where special rescue units have been dispatched to, according to Vijay Wadettiwar, relief and rehabilitation minister.

Close to 100,000 people across several regions have been evacuated, he said.

According to India Meteorological Department forecasts, the rains will start to lose intensity starting on Sunday.

Floods and landslides are common during India’s monsoon season, as are building collapses due to poor infrastructure, lack of maintenance and corruption.

On Sunday last week, at least 17 people died and an undetermined number of people are still unaccounted for in Mumbai, the capital of Maharashtra. EFE

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