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Death toll in India monsoon climbs to 159 as rescuers search for dozens still missing

  • India’s west coast has been inundated by torrential rains since Thursday, with the country’s meteorological department warning of further downpours
  • Climate scientist Roxy Mathew Koll of the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology said climate change was warming the Arabian Sea

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Target Disaster Response Force (TDRF) personnel carry the body of a victim at the site of a landslide at Taliye, on July 24, 2021, in the western state of Maharashtra. Photo: AFP

The death toll from flooding and landslides triggered by heavy monsoon rains in India climbed to 159, officials said on Sunday, with rescuers searching for dozens more missing.

The country’s western coast has been inundated by torrential rains since Thursday, with the India Meteorological Department warning of further downpours over the next few days.

Flooding and landslides are common during India’s treacherous monsoon season, which also often sees poorly constructed buildings buckle after days of non-stop rain.

Experts say climate change has caused the annual deluge to increase in frequency and intensity.

In Maharashtra state, 149 people have been killed, including more than 40 in a large landslide that hit the hillside village of Taliye some 250 kilometres (155 miles) southeast of Mumbai Thursday.

Villager Jayram Mahaske, whose relatives remained trapped, said “many people were washed away as they were trying to run away.”

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