Heavy monsoon rains leave dozens dead in India

By Anadolu staff

ANKARA (AA) – Dozens of people have died in various Indian states in the past few weeks as heavy monsoons lash several parts of the country, officials said on Wednesday.

A statement by the disaster authority in the Himalayan state of Himachal Pradesh said on Wednesday that due to the rains in the last 24 hours, over 500 roads were blocked in different parts of the state.

The Himachal Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority also said that 125 people have lost lives during monsoon rains from June 24 to July 18, while 12 are missing. The cause of death includes road accidents, landslides, and flash floods.

The state recently witnessed heavy rains, causing flash floods and damaging property worth millions of Indian rupees.

On Wednesday, eight people died in separate incidents in the Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir which witnessed heavy monsoon rains, local news gathering agency Asian News International reported.

Heavy rains have also been reported in the Indian western state of Maharashtra and Gujarat, disrupting daily life.

In Punjab state, which is also hit by floods due to the heavy rainfall, the death toll stood at 35, a senior official said on Wednesday.

This week, four more deaths in rain-related incidents were reported in north India's state of Haryana, taking the death toll to 34, according to the authorities.

- 15 die due to electrocution

At least 15 people died and several others were injured in a case of electrocution in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand, officials said on Wednesday.

Nand Kishore Joshi, a senior disaster management official in the state's Chamoli district, where the incident took place, told Anadolu that 15 people died in the incident, while seven are injured.

He said that an investigation to find the cause of the incident has been launched.

Uttarakhand Police's Additional Director Law and Order V Murugesan said a police officer had gone to the incident site on Wednesday morning.

"A police officer and three home guards had gone to the spot, where local villagers were protesting against some incident. Electric current again passed in the railing, due to which 15 people died," he said.

The incident happened inside a sewage treatment, under the Namami Gange project -- a program for the rejuvenation of the River Ganges and its tributaries.

Uttarkand's Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said an inquiry has been ordered into the incident.