At least 180 dead in India as rains trigger floods, landslides

In Maharashtra, greater than 200,000 folks have been evacuated, in line with the state's Department of Relief and Rehabilitation.

The National Disaster Response Force, the Indian Army, Coast Guards, Navy, Air Force and state authorities have all been deployed as a part of the rescue effort.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Friday issued a pink alert for six districts of Maharashtra, forecasting "extremely heavy" rainfall and recommending preventive actions. The official mentioned that districts Kolhapur and Sangli are nonetheless on alert, Reuters reported.

Parts of India's west coast obtained as much as 594 millimeters (23 inches) of rainfall over 24 hours, forcing authorities to evacuate folks from susceptible areas as they launched water from dams that had been threatening to overflow.

"Unexpected very heavy rainfall triggered landslides in many places and flooded rivers," Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, who heads Maharashtra's state authorities, advised journalists.

"Dams and rivers are overflowing. We are forced to release water from dams, and, accordingly, we are moving people residing near the river banks to safer places," he mentioned.

Thackeray was as a result of go to flood-affected areas however his helicopter was unable to land as a result of low visibility, in line with a Twitter thread posted by his workplace on Monday.

On Friday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi introduced compensation of $2,686 for the households of victims, and $671 to these injured.

Thousands of vans had been caught on a nationwide freeway linking Mumbai with the southern expertise hub of Bengaluru, with the highway submerged in some locations, one other Maharashtra authorities official mentioned.

Meanwhile, lots of of villages and cities had been with out electrical energy and consuming water, he mentioned.

Rivers had been additionally overflowing in the neighboring southern states of Karnataka and Telangana the place authorities had been monitoring the state of affairs, authorities officers there mentioned.

Seasonal monsoon rains from June to September trigger deaths and mass displacement throughout South Asia yearly, however additionally they ship greater than 70% of India's rainfall and are essential for farmers.