At least 34 people have died following days of heavy rains in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand, the state Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said yesterday, as rescuers continued work to free those stranded.
Aerial footage of the affected areas showed engorged rivers and villages partially submerged by floodwaters.
“There is huge loss due to the floods ... the crops have been destroyed,” Dhami told Asian News International after surveying the damage late on Tuesday.
Photo: EPA-EFE
“The locals are facing a lot of problems, the roads are waterlogged, bridges have been washed away,” Dhami said. “So far, 34 people have died and we are trying to normalize the situation as soon as possible.”
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote on Twitter that he was “anguished” by the loss of life.
The Himalayan state of Uttarakhand is especially prone to flooding. More than 200 were feared killed in February after flash floods swept away a hydroelectric dam.
Unseasonally heavy rains across India have led to deadly floods in several areas of the country in the past few days.
Authorities in the southern state of Kerala on Monday said that more than 20 people had died there due to landslides.
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