Mumbai: At least 138 individuals have died in rain-related happenings, including multiple landslides, in Maharashtra. The deceased include 36 who demised in a landslide in the coastal Raigad district, about 70 km from state capital Mumbai.
Various districts – primarily the Konkan region – have been receiving constant rain over the past few days, leaving thousands marooned in floods and landslides.
“138 accidental deaths detailed in Maharashtra due to rain and other monsoon-related events,” Maharashtra Minister of Relief and Rehabilitation, Vijay Wadettiwar, said.
Satara district in Western Maharashtra has also been demolished by rain and several individuals have been eroded by floodwaters, an official was revealed as saying by news agency PTI. The official put the death count in Satara at 27.
Other casualties include those reported from eastern districts such as Gondia and Chandrapur, he said.
“Rainfall in different parts of the state often coincided with high tides and also discharge from dams drove to various regions… getting deluge,” the Maharashtra government said in a press release.
At least 84,452 individuals, including over 40,000 in Kolhapur district, were evacuated to safer places in Western Maharashtra’s Pune division, officials said. Not less than 54 villages have been completely battered due to the floods while 821 were partially influenced in Kolhapur, where the Panchganga river is flowing at a level higher than that seen during the peak of floods in 2019, officials said.
Eleven people, counting eight Nepalese workers, on board a bus had a narrow escape as they were rescued in the nick of time before the vehicle was swept away in Kolhapur district on Friday, PTI reported quoting police officials.
Beside Raigad district, landslides also resulted in Ambeghar and Mirgaon villages in Satara during Thursday night.
Recovery teams of the National Disaster Response Force, State Disaster Response Force and other agencies are already deployed to assist the relief work. Six teams of the Indian Army and Navy are expected to join the rescue work today.
The Maharashtra government has declared a compensation of ₹ 5 lakh each to the families of those who died. The wounded will be treated in hospitals at government expenditure, the statement declared by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray’s office said.
Heavy rains since the last two days have produced massive floods in Raigad, Ratnagiri, Palghar, Thane, Sindhudurg, Kolhapur, Sangli and Satara districts.
The India Meteorological Department, or IMD, has issued a red alert for six regions that have been already affected by the downpour, forecasting “extremely heavy” rainfall and recommending preventive measures.
Flooding and landslides are common during the monsoon season.
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