67 dead as India’s monsoon sweeps westward

INDIA: Rain pummeled western India Sunday after easing in southern states where almost 70 people have died in three days of heavy downfalls and flash floods from a monsoon season in full swing.

The southern state of Andhra Pradesh was the worst hit so far with 32 dead from rainfall which tapered off Sunday, down from a previous official toll of 41 as nine missing people thought to have perished were found.

Incessant downpours since Thursday night dumped almost 200 millimetres (eight inches) on low-lying areas in three districts of the coastal state, causing rivers and streams to flood.

But with the rain easing slightly officials there are hoping more than 100,000 people evacuated from low-lying areas to 95 relief camps can return home from Monday as water levels recede.

“By tomorrow the situation should be absolutely normal,” state disaster management commissioner Preeti Sudan told AFP Sunday.

“We are trying (to ensure) that (evacuees) return by tomorrow evening or by the day after tomorrow.”

State officials said the flooding had disrupted road, rail and air traffic, and caused power and telecom failures.

In neighbouring western Maharashtra state, 15 people died in house collapses from powerful storms and lightning strikes, the Press Trust of India (PTI) reported, with the heavy rain continuing into Sunday.

India’s financial hub of Mumbai received almost 300 millimetres of rain in the 24 hours up to Sunday morning, causing flooding and traffic jams and raising fears of a repeat of deadly floods only two years ago.

Another 20 deaths took place at the weekend in western coastal Kerala state, PTI reported, where the southwest monsoon began its journey late last month.

Warnings have been issued to fisherman not to put to sea along much of the western Arabian sea coast, PTI said.

Meanwhile at least 40 people were killed and scores injured by torrential rain that uprooted trees and huge steel billboards in southern Pakistan, hospitals and emergency services said on Saturday.

Many died in roof collapses and in electrocutions with much of Pakistan’s largest city and its commercial capital plunged into darkness after its power system collapsed.

“At least 40 people have died and around 150 were injured in today’s rain,” Syed Sardar Ahmed, health minister for Sindh province told AFP.

Ahmed said that 13 people died in the impoverished Gadap neighbourhood where roofs of shanty houses collapsed due to huge thunderstorms.

“We have declared an emergency at all government hospitals and cancelled the vacations and leave of doctors and paramedics,” he added.The thunderstorm in Karachi wreaked havoc within an hour on Saturday afternoon, with the Met office saying the port city received 17.2 mm of rain.

Ahmed said Karachi’s “weak infrastructure” was the reason for high casualty figures.

Hyderabad, Karachi ,Sunday, AFP