News / India

Flash floods, heavy rain kill 15 in central India

Sunday, 10 July 2016 12:22 PM [ Last Update: Sunday, 10 July 2016 1:19 PM ]

Indian pedestrians balance baskets on their heads as they wade through a flooded street after heavy monsoon rain showers in Mumbai, India, June 21, 2016. (AFP)

At least 15 people were killed when flash floods accompanied by heavy downpours struck India's central state of Madhya Pradesh over the weekend.

"Seven people have lost their lives in the last one day, taking the overall toll to 15," Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the state chief minister, said on Sunday in a video message on Twitter.

"We have already rescued and moved around 6,000 people to temporary shelters in the last few days. Around 500 were rescued to safer areas on Saturday," he added.

According to Indian authorities, the flooding damaged roads, bridges and homes in the region, and some major roads were still inundated after days of heavy rain.

News channels in India showed footage of flooded cities in the central state, with residents forced to wade through waist-deep water.

Senior officials in Madhya Pradesh were ordered to stay vigilant for the next 24 hours as more heavy rain is predicted.

Indian Meteorological Department noted that heavy rains will continue in other parts of the state due to moisture in the atmosphere.

Two other districts, Jorhat and Golaghat, in the northern state of Assam are reported as the worst hit districts, with flood water damaging crop land and affecting livestock.

The state minister of Assam has instructed the army to launch rescue and relief operations in Jorhat district, as local teams of rescuers evacuate people from the flooded areas.

India's monsoon season runs from June to September, causing casualties and large-scale destruction in the vast South Asian country.

In 2013, heaviest rains in the state of Uttarakhand caused monsoon floods and mudslides that killed at least 1,000 people.

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