At least 100 killed during record-breaking monsoon rains in India
Weeks of relentless monsoon rains have killed at least 100 people in India and injured dozens more in treacherous landslides and flooding, government officials said Thursday.
The hardest hit state has been Himachal Pradesh, where at least 91 people have been killed between June 24 and July 13 due to the torrential downpours that have washed away vehicles, homes, buildings and bridges, according to AFP.
Other affected areas include:
• Twelve people died of rain-related incidents in Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous state, government officials told The Associated Press.
• At least 10 were killed amid incessant rain and flash flooding in Punjab state.
• About a dozen people lost their lives in neighboring Uttarakhand state, including nine on Tuesday when debris fell on their vehicles on a national highway, officials told AFP.
"There is a huge loss of life and property, the loss is being assessed," Punjab water resources and revenue minister Brahm Shankar Jimpa told AFP.
Also, hundreds of tourists stranded in the Himalayas after floods severed road connections had to be airlifted to safety over the past week, Himachal Pradesh's Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu told reporters, according to CNN. Rescue evacuations included about 250 tourists from Chandra Taal lake, a popular tourist destination in the southwest part of the Himalayas.
These visuals are from Chandra Taal , Lahaul. The tents that you see here are the tourist camps.
Due to heavy snowfall and bad weather, it has become very difficult to evacuate them. We are exploring all possible options. pic.twitter.com/wU9vsQDoAS— Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu (@SukhuSukhvinder) July 12, 2023
The monsoon brings South Asia around 80 percent of its annual rainfall and is vital both for agriculture and the livelihoods of millions of farmers. But it also brings destruction every year in the form of landslides and floods.
The city of Chandigarh, located in Punjab, received more than 30 inches of rain over the course of 48 hours. Many other weather stations recorded rainfall amounts close to a foot (300 mm) in the same timeframe. Shimla in Himachal Pradesh was inundated by 12.44 inches (316 mm) while nearby Sundernagar recorded 10.28 inches (261 mm).
The Yamuna River, which snakes past the capital of New Delhi also in the north, recorded its highest levels since 1978 on Wednesday, with levels reaching 207.5 meters (681 feet), according to the Central Water Commission.
Delhi on Sunday marked its wettest July day in more than 40 years, authorities told CNN.
AccuWeather forecasters say floodwaters may take a significant time to recede even after the heaviest rainfall gradually comes to an end.
Want next-level safety, ad-free? Unlock advanced, hyperlocal severe weather alerts when you subscribe to Premium+ on the AccuWeather app.AccuWeather Alerts™ are prompted by our expert meteorologists who monitor and analyze dangerous weather risks 24/7 to keep you and your family safer.