The death toll after the heavy monsoon rains in India rose to 127 on Sunday. Many are still missing in the floodwaters and several major landslides.
Rescue crews are fighting a desperate battle to find survivors of several major landslides south of Mumbai in India. 124 people have been confirmed dead, but many are still missing. Foto: NDRF / AP / NTB
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—-Several days of continuous, heavy monsoon rains have submerged large areas along the west coast of India, such as here in Kolhapur in the state of Maharashtra. Photo: AP / NTB
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Heavy rainfall has fallen over the west coast of India since Thursday, and meteorologists have predicted more rain in the coming days.
In the state of Maharasthra, where the city of Mumbai is located, 117 people have been found dead, among them 40 in a large landslide that hit the village of Taliye on Thursday.
Two other villages south of Mumbai have also been hit by landslides, which claimed at least 12 lives.
Nearly 100 people are still missing after the landslides and rescue crews are fighting a desperate battle in the hope of finding some of them alive.
Step 6 meters
In parts of the Chiplun district, the water level rose by as much as 6 meters on Thursday, after it had rained continuously for 24 hours. Roads and homes are under water, and eight covid-19 patients died when the hospital they were admitted to lost their power supply and the breathing machines stopped.
The state of Goa further south is also experiencing the worst flood in almost 40 years and several large rivers have overflowed their banks and submerged large areas.
Terrified people have for days sought refuge on rooftops, but so far only one person has been reported dead in Goa.
The state of Karnataka, which is even further south, is also fighting floodwaters after several days of heavy monsoon rains and nine people have so far been confirmed dead. Another four are missing, according to local spokesmen.
Climate changes
Indian meteorologists have issued red danger warnings for several regions, which can expect heavy rainfall in the coming days.
According to the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact, climate change has contributed to heavier monsoon rains in India, which has serious consequences for food production and the economy of a country home to almost a fifth of the world’s population.
Climate scientist Roxy Koll, who is affiliated with the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, is not surprised by this year’s flood.
“We have all seen a threefold increase in extreme rainfall causing floods in India,” he said.
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