Landslides in Western India Kill 5, While Floods Trap More

World

July 23rd, 6:39am

Asharq Al-Awsat

Disasters caused by landslides and flooding are common in India during the June-September monsoon season - AP

Landslides triggered by heavy monsoon rains hit parts of western India, killing at least five people and leading to the overnight rescue of more than 1,000 other people trapped by floodwaters, an official said Friday. The dead were killed in three landslides in Raigad district in western Maharashtra state, said District Collector Nidhi Chaudhary. Many of those rescued were stranded on rooftops and even on top of buses on highways, she said. Chaudhary said the rains had slowed and water levels were coming down Friday, but access to badly hit areas was still blocked, hampering rescue operations. Elsewhere in the region, a house collapsed Friday after heavy rains in the Shivaji Nagar area in eastern Mumbai, killing two people and injuring eight others, the Press Trust of India news agency reported. In Ratnagiri district, 200 people were rescued from hilly areas on Thursday after the heavy rains, according to PTI. In the coastal town of Chiplun, home to 70,000 people, more than half the area was flooded, the news agency reported. B.N, Patil, district administrator of Ratnagiri, said he has sought the help of the army, coast guard and the National Disaster Response Force for rescue operations. The Associated Press reported an Indian navy statement saying it has deployed helicopters for evacuating stranded people and sent rescue teams with boats to the region. Last weekend, more than 30 people were killed in landslides triggered by heavy monsoon rains in and around Mumbai, India’s financial and entertainment capital. Disasters caused by landslides and flooding are common in India during the June-September monsoon season, when heavy rains weaken the foundations of structures that are often poorly built. The monsoon is crucial for rain-fed crops planted during the season but the rains often cause extensive damage and kill scores of people each year.

from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3094066/landslides-western-india-kill-5-while-floods-trap-more