Death toll rises to over 90 as monsoon rains lash northern India

By Anadolu staff

ANKARA (AA) – The death toll in the heavy monsoon rains in northern India since last weekend reached over 90, officials and local media said on Wednesday.

At least 34 people have so far died in the rain-related incidents in the Himalayan state of Himachal Pradesh since July 7, and four people are missing, Praveen Bhardwaj, an official at State's Disaster Management Authority, told Anadolu on Wednesday.

He added that the deaths took place due to road accidents, flash floods, and landslides.

The Himachal Pradesh state has been the worst affected due to the heavy rains that lashed the state over the weekend.

Thousands of tourists who were stuck in the state are now returning home as authorities have restored roads and highways damaged by the heavy rains.

Authorities have reported that over 1,300 roads were damaged, resulting in a total estimated cost of 40 billion Indian rupees (approximately $486 million) across the state.

The Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister's office stated on Wednesday that rescue operations are underway in the hilly state, which attracts millions of tourists each year.

During the past weekend, several northern states including Himachal, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Gujarat experienced heavy rainfall, leading to flash floods in many areas, causing street flooding and disrupting normal life.

Local news broadcaster India Today reported that at least 34 people have died in rain-related incidents in the past three days in Uttar Pradesh state. The death toll includes those killed in lightning.

Additionally, in Punjab state, a senior official told Anadolu that at least 10 people have lost lives in rain-related incidents in the past two days.

Earlier, at least seven deaths owing to heavy rains were also recorded in the state of Haryana, Rajasthan as well. Delhi and Jammu and Kashmir regions also saw few deaths after the heavy rainfall.

The weather department has said that from Tuesday there would be a reduction in rainfall over Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, and Chandigarh.

Another alert warned that "heavy to very heavy rainfall" of 115.6 to 204.4mm (over 8 inches) is expected in Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh states on Wednesday.

In the national capital New Delhi, the water level of the Yamuna River was flowing at an all-time high, breaching the record level of 207.49 meters (over 680 feet) that it had touched 45 years back in 1978, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Wednesday.

“Central Water Commission predicts 207.72-meter (over 681 feet) water level in Yamuna tonight. Not good news for Delhi,” Kejriwal tweeted.