- In parts of the west coast of India, rainfall was as high as 594 mm in 24 hours.
- Heavy rain caused landslides and flooded low-lying areas.
- At least 38 people were killed in Taliye, 59 people were killed in other parts of Maharashtra, and another 15 people were killed in rain-related accidents.
Authorities said on Friday that at least 112 people have died in the western Indian state of Maharashtra after heavy rains triggered landslides and flooded low-lying areas, and hundreds of villages were cut off.
In parts of India’s west coast, rainfall was as high as 594 mm in 24 hours, forcing the authorities to evacuate people from vulnerable areas because they released water from dams that might overflow.
Udaf Thackeray, the head of the government of Maharashtra State and Chief Minister, told reporters: “Unexpectedly heavy rainfall caused landslides in many places and flooded rivers.”
“Dams and rivers are flooding. We are forced to release water from dams, so we are moving people living near river banks to safer places.”
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He added that the navy and army are helping rescue operations in coastal areas.
State officials said that in Taliye, 180 kilometers southeast of the financial capital Mumbai, at least 38 people were killed and landslides razed most of the small villages to the ground.
They said that in 9 landslides in other parts of Maharashtra, 59 people were killed and another 15 people were killed in accidents related to heavy rainfall.
A state government official who asked not to be named said that dozens of people were trapped in landslides in Satara and Legard.
He says:
Rescue operations are being carried out in various places in Satara, Legard and Ratnagiri. Due to heavy rainfall and flooding, we are working hard to move rescue machinery quickly.
Another Maharashtra government official said that thousands of trucks were trapped on the national highway connecting Mumbai and the southern technology center of Bangalore, and parts of it were submerged.
He said that at the same time, hundreds of villages and towns lacked electricity and drinking water.
Government officials there said that the rivers in the neighboring southern states of Karnataka and Telangana are also flooding, and the authorities are monitoring the situation there.
The seasonal monsoon rains from June to September each year cause death and mass displacement in South Asia, but they also provide more than 70% of India’s rainfall and are vital to farmers.
