Authorities race to identify bodies as rescue workers reach new areas and fear monsoon death toll will rise further

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

Severe monsoon flooding has killed 213 people in western India with officials fearing the death toll would rise as receding waters revealed additional victims.

Nearly 130,000 people have been relocated to safer ground in Gujarat state after hundreds of cities and villages were devastated by weeks of torrential rain.

Helicopters and boats are combing areas including the deluged Banaskantha district where 25 bodies, including 17 members of one family, were discovered in two submerged villages last week.

On Sunday, surviving members of the family met the Gujarat chief minister, Vijay Rupani, who said the rainfall had triggered “the worst flood of the century” in parts of the state.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Soldiers rescue stranded flood victims in Khariya village, Gujarat. Photograph: Sam Panthaky/AFP/Getty Images

Nearly 700 people have died across India in recent weeks as monsoon rain has submerged roads, damaged electricity networks and triggered lethal lightning storms.

Overwhelmed authorities in Gujarat said the state’s death toll, which jumped by 90 in the past day, was likely to increase as new victims were discovered. “Only after a postmortem is conducted we can officially confirm death of a person,” an official at the Gujarat emergency control room told Agence France-Presse. “Since many bodies were found, postmortems took time, hence the sudden jump in numbers.”

The flooding has paralysed Gujarat, with flights diverted from the airport in its largest city, Ahmedabad, more than 150 factories shut down, and an estimated 50,000 cotton farms waterlogged.

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More than 4,000 animals were thought to have been killed so far, local reports said.



The Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, who surveyed the devastation from an aircraft last week, has already pledged at least £60m in funding for interim relief efforts. In his monthly radio address on Sunday he said “maximum possible efforts” were being made to assist residents of the state he led as chief minister for 12 years and several others affected by heavy rain in the past week.

Modi said the floods had wreaked havoc on a massive scale, adding that altered weather cycles linked to climate change were having a big negative impact. He announced 200,000 rupees’ compensation (£2,374) to the families of those killed in the deluge and 50,000 rupees to those seriously injured.

As well as Gujarat, the north-eastern states of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam have been hit by monsoon flooding, as have pockets of Odisha and Bihar in the country’s east. Lightning storms in Odisha and another state, Jharkhand, killed 21 people on Monday with more inclement weather expected throughout this week.

Most of the victims were working in fields when lightning struck them, disaster management authority officials said. Thousands of Indians are killed by lightning each year, most of them working in fields during the June to October monsoon season.

Bihar has reported nearly 140 lightning deaths since May.

Suresh Kumar, West Bengal’s top disaster management official, said 31 deaths had also been reported in a week of flooding in the state. “Heavy rains have caused massive damage in several districts,” Kumar told AFP.

In Assam at least 77 people have been killed and a state-wide emergency relief operation has been under way since April. Tens of thousands of hectares of crops have been destroyed and at least 91 animals, including seven rhinoceros, were killed in flooding at the state’s Kaziranaga national park.

The national park, which rangers said was about 90% underwater, is one of the few remaining habitats of the rare one-horned rhino. The species’ numbers – about 3,300, according to the last count four years ago – have been dented in past years by poachers and flooding in 2016 that killed more than 20, nearly half of them calves.

Meteorologists said the rainfall in Gujarat, close to the heaviest in 112 years, was the result of low-pressure systems developing simultaneously over the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian sea.



Flooding kills thousands of people each year in India, the damage exacerbated by weak enforcement of building standards, high rates of poverty and unplanned communities springing up in high-risk areas. Research in 2016 found that flooding was the most significant risk to communities and businesses in south Asia and that about 113 million people in India – nearly 10% of the population – were acutely exposed to flood hazard. </s> Ahmedabad: Severe monsoon flooding has killed 213 people in western India, an official said Sunday, as rescuers continue to sift through villages devastated by torrential rains.

The death toll in Gujarat jumped from Wednesday’s total of 123 as waters recede from low-lying areas, allowing workers to reach remote spots where bodies are starting to appear. “The death toll in Gujarat this monsoon has risen to 213,” A.J Shah, director of relief operations with the Gujarat government, told AFP.

Overwhelmed authorities, who expect the toll to rise still further, said they have struggled to cope with the number of bodies needing identification and post-mortems, resulting in delays in confirming the latest deaths.

An official at the state’s emergency control room explained that “only after a post-mortem is conducted we can officially confirm death of a person”. “Since many bodies were found, postmortem took time hence the sudden jump in numbers,” the official, who requested anonymity, told AFP.

The rise comes after rescuers plucked 25 bodies, including 17 members of a single family, on Wednesday from two submerged villages in hard-hit Banaskantha district of Gujarat.

Rescue workers have moved close to 130,000 people from low-lying, dangerous areas as helicopters and boats try to reach those still stranded.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who surveyed the devastation across Gujarat from the skies last week, in his radio show on Sunday reassured flood-hit states that all help was being provided to them.

As well as Gujarat, the northeastern states of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam have been hard-hit by monsoon flooding, while pockets of the eastern states of Odisha and Bihar have also been affected.

In Assam at least 77 people have been killed and a state-wide emergency relief operation has been underway since April. Tens of thousands of acres of crops have been destroyed. </s> Severe monsoon flooding has killed 213 people in western India, an official said on Sunday, as rescuers continue to sift through villages devastated by torrential rains.

The death toll in Gujarat state jumped from Wednesday’s total of 123 to 213, the government said, as waters receded from low-lying areas, allowing rescue workers to reach remote spots.

Overwhelmed authorities, which expect the toll to rise further, said they had struggled to cope with the number of bodies needing identification and postmortems, resulting in delays in confirming the latest deaths.

An official at the state’s emergency control room explained that “only after a postmortem is conducted we can officially confirm death of a person”.

“Since many bodies were found, postmortems took time, hence the sudden jump in numbers,” the official, who requested anonymity, said.

The rise comes after rescuers plucked 25 bodies, including 17 members of one family, on Wednesday from two submerged villages in the hard-hit Banaskantha district of Gujarat.

Rescue workers have moved close to 130,000 people from low-lying, dangerous areas as helicopters and boats continue to try to reach those still stranded.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who flew over the devastation in Gujarat last week, used his radio show on Sunday to reassure flood-hit states that all help was being provided to them.

As well as Gujarat, the north-eastern states of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam have been hit by monsoon flooding, while pockets of the eastern states of Odisha and Bihar have also been affected.

In Assam at least 77 people have been killed and a state-wide emergency relief operation has been underway since April. Tens of thousands of hectares of crops have been destroyed. </s> Floods in the western Indian state of Gujarat have killed 218 people, government officials have confirmed.

The death toll doubled over the last two days as officials found more than 100 bodies once waters began receding.

Officials estimate that the floods have affected 450,000 people in the state.

This years monsoon rains have affected millions across at least 20 states in India. The north-eastern state of Assam has also seen dozens killed and hundreds of thousands displaced.

The government has announced aid packages for affected areas and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is due to visit Assam on Tuesday.

He has said the aim of his visit is to find a "permanent solution" to the flooding that Assam faces every year.

The Press Trust of India news agency quoted an official as saying that many affected people in Gujarat had begun returning to their villages. </s> The flood toll in Gujarat has risen to 218 this monsoon, with 61 people killed in worst-hit Banaskantha district, an official said today.

 

 "218 people have died, with 61 in Banaskantha and seven in neighbouring Patan district," an official of the (SEOC) said.



The toll increased in the last two days after more bodies were found as flood waters receded in Banaskantha and Patan districts of north Gujarat, he said.Floods due to torrential rain and release of water from dams affected 4.5 lakh people in the state, with over 39,000 people shifted to safer places and 11,400 rescued last week by teams of the Army, Air Force and and State Disaster Response Forces.Most of the people who were relocated have now returned to their villages, the official said, adding the administration was now focused on providing them food and preventing outbreak of water-borne diseases.Relief operation has been intensified as the rains have abated.Chief Minister Vijay Rupani is camping in the Banaskantha-Patan area for the last four-five days.In Banaskantha, villages along Banas and Sipu were inundated. In one village, floods claimed the lives of 14 members of a family, officials said.The situation became serious as a huge volume of water was released from Dantiwada and Sipu dams following rains in other parts of the region and neighbouring Rajasthan.Rupani today visited the affected villages in Patan district. He plans to stay in the area for three more days, said an official.Today he visited Radhanpur tehsil. Normalcy will be restored in another ten days, he assured the people.In Patan, he said, 58 out of the 87 damaged roads have been restored, and 153 medical camps set up. </s> Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani assured Saturday that the situation with regard to floods in the districts is under control. He said that over 8000 people have been rescued and 70,000 people have been shifted to safer places. Around 100 people have lost their lives due to the floods so far. “The situation in Gujarat is under control, more than 8000 people have been rescued and it is very saddening for us that we couldn’t save the lives of approximately 100 people. 70,000 people have been migrated so far,” Rupani told ANI.

The Golden Katar Division of the Indian Army had released two additional columns on July 26; fully equipped with specialized equipment to bolster the ongoing operations in the flood hit districts, in response to an increased requirement for aerial rescue and relief effort projected by the state government. There are now a total of five Indian Army Columns engaged in rescuing people in the flood ravaged villages of Gujarat.

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There is IMD forecast as well as Central Water Commission (CWC) has issued an advisory warning rapid rise in three river basins namely Mahi, Sabarmati and Narmada. We have deployed 32 NDRF and other rescue teams in districts that are likely to be affected,” the Principal Secretary Revenue Department of Gujarat Pankaj Kumar. He added, “We have also started the process to compensate who have suffered due to the floods.”

Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh to the next kin of those killed in Gujarat floods, and Rs. 50,000 to those injured. </s> Death toll rises to 93 in floods, mudslides in south India

NEW DELHI — At least 93 people have been killed and more than 400,000 displaced in floods and mudslides caused by days of torrential rains in southern India.

The worst-hit has been the state of Kerala where the death toll rose to 57 by late Saturday, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has tweeted.

This is an increase from 42 deaths reported from Aug. 8. More than 165,000 people have left their homes for relief camps.

A news report says another 31 people have been killed in rain-related accidents in neighboring Karnataka while at least five are reported dead in Tamil Nadu state.

Kerala suffered catastrophic floods a year ago when heavy downpours killed 223 people and drove hundreds of thousands from their homes. </s> The death toll from floods in the Indian states of Karnataka, Kerala and Maharashtra has risen to at least 147, according to authorities, as rescue teams raced to evacuate people and waters submerged parts of a world heritage site.

Heavy rain and landslides forced hundreds of thousands of people to take shelter in relief camps, while train services were cancelled in several flood-hit areas.

In the southern state of Kerala, at least 57 people were killed in rain-related incidents while more than 165,000 were in relief camps in the state, local authorities said on Sunday.

"Several houses are still covered under 10-12 feet deep mud. This is hampering rescue work," state chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said.

Authorities worried that rescue operations would be hit by thunderstorms and rainfall predicted in some parts of Kerala.

"People are facing a lot of problems. Water has come from all directions, water has entered all the houses," a rescued local, Ajeet Pattankudi, told Reuters News Agency.

Last year, more than 200 people were killed in Kerala and over five million were affected in one of the state's worst floods in 100 years.

Residents are being evacuated from their home to a safer place following floods warnings, on a wooden boat in Kochi [AFP]

In Karnataka, several structures at the world heritage site Hampi, an ancient town, were flooded.

So far, 60 people have died in rain-related incidents, said state chief minister BS Yediyurappa, adding nearly 227,000 people were staying in relief camps.

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In Maharashtra, where the death toll stood at 30, the flood situation was improving, according to state-run All India Radio, though authorities said it would be difficult to restore rail services in some flood-hit areas within the next two weeks.

While Karnataka, Kerala and Maharashtra have been the worst hit this year, several other states including Gujarat, Assam and Bihar have also seen heavy damage due to floods.

India's main opposition Congress party on Sunday called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to provide relief packages.

Citing media reports, the party said so far this year 446 people have been killed in six flood-hit states including Assam, Bihar and Gujarat.

"Despite the mammoth loss of lives and displacement caused due to floods, the government is failing to realize the gravity of the flood fury," it said in a statement. </s> Death toll rises to 93 in floods, mudslides in south India

NEW DELHI (AP) — At least 93 people have been killed and more than 400,000 displaced in floods and mudslides following days of torrential rains in southern India.

The worst-hit has been the state of Kerala where the death toll rose to 57 by late Saturday, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan tweeted.

That was an increase from 42 deaths reported since Aug. 8. More than 165,000 people left their homes for relief camps.

The Press Trust of India news agency reported another 31 people have been killed in rain-related accidents in neighboring Karnataka.

At least five others were reported dead in Tamil Nadu state.

Kerala suffered catastrophic floods a year ago when heavy downpours killed 223 people and drove hundreds of thousands from their homes.

South Asia has continued to face rain-related disasters during the monsoon season, with 160 people killed last month in northeastern India, Nepal and Bangladesh.
Flooding in Gujarat, Western India, kills at least 213 people with the death toll expected to rise as receding flood waters reveal additional victims. Chief Minister of Gujarat Vijay Rupani says heavy rain had triggered "the worst flood of the century" in the state.