India Monsoon Flooding Death Toll Climbs

NEW DELHI—The head of a village on India’s west coast was celebrating his birthday last 7 days when a few regional boys ran to his household with a concept: The river that flowed through the village was so high that homes have been remaining swept away from the financial institutions.

More than the past 7 days, hefty monsoon rains lashed the point out of Maharashtra, triggering scenes of devastation and killing at the very least one hundred fifty people today, according to regional government officials. Mudslides flattened villages and roadways turned into rivers that minimize off entry to villages.

Just after remaining summoned by the boys, the village head, Somnath Digambar Ozarde, rushed to the river and noticed people today striving to rescue their neighbors, he reported. He estimated the river was twenty five to 30 feet higher than normal.

“This is the biggest flood we have seen in one hundred to 200 decades,” he reported. “Even our moms and dads and grandparents say they have not seen nearly anything like this in their lifetimes.”

Flooding and landslides are not unheard of for the duration of India’s monsoon year. In 2019, 950 people today died in India for the reason that of floods and 264 died in landslides, according to the most new info available from the Indian government.