Death toll rises to 31 in floods and landslides in several Indian states

The death toll in floods and landslides triggered by heavy rains in Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Odisha and Uttarakhand has risen to 31. This information has been revealed in a report of the Indian media NDTV. Among the dead were at least 22 from Himachal, including eight members of the same family. In addition, 10 people were injured. Six people are still missing in the state’s Mandi. Manali Deputy Commissioner Arindam Chaudhary told PTI that all those missing in Mandi were probably dead.

Four people have died in Uttarakhand. 10 people are missing. There have been heavy thunderstorms in the state. Around 1,000 people have been evacuated from different villages and areas along the banks of the river and areas near the collapsed bridge. Four deaths were reported in Odisha, officials said. They said at least 400,000 people have been evacuated from more than 500 villages in the flood-hit Mahanadi basin.

Many trees and electricity poles have been uprooted and low-lying areas submerged in several districts of Jharkhand due to heavy rains. A woman was crushed to death after a wall of a mud house collapsed in West Singhbhum, state officials said. Meanwhile, heavy rains have started in Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir since Sunday morning. The pilgrimage has been suspended due to floods. According to the Met office, heavy rains are likely to occur in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan on Monday as well.

Sudesh Kumar Mukhta, director of himachal’s disaster management department, said a total of 36 natural disaster-related accidents have been reported in the state. As many as 743 roads in the state have been disrupted. Apart from this, communication on the Manali-Chandigarh highway and the Shimla-Chandigarh highway has also been disrupted, causing huge traffic jams.

According to a report in The Hindustan Times, Himachal is the worst-hit region due to heavy rains and landslides. An official of the state rescue team said several houses were washed away by the current caused by the heavy rains and the casualties occurred at this time. Rescue operations are underway in the areas where the landslide took place. Rail connectivity between Himachal Pradesh’s Joginder Nagar and Punjab’s Pathankot has been snapped.

On the other hand, two children were killed when a mud house collapsed due to heavy rains in Jammu and Kashmir. One of the deceased was three years old and the other was only two months old. Local authorities said the casualties were caused by flash floods and landslides triggered by heavy monsoon rains in those states, afp reported. In recent times, such landslides and flash floods have increased significantly in the country.

Experts say climate change is increasing the incidence of extreme natural disasters around the world. In India, as in other parts of the world, dams, deforestation and various unsightly development projects are also increasing the death rate of people due to these disasters.