Advertisement
India
AsiaSouth Asia

At least 22 die in India as extra-heavy monsoon rains trigger severe flooding, landslides

  • In the capital New Delhi, more rain was recorded in a single day than at any time in the past 40 years – a total of 15.3cm
  • Delhi, Punjab, and Himachal Pradesh have so far received 112 per cent, 100 per cent and 70 per cent more rainfall than average this monsoon season

Reading Time:2 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
0
A motorist drives through a flooded highway on the outskirts of Indian capital New Delhi after heavy monsoon rains on Sunday. Photo: AFP
Agence France-Presse
Torrential rains across northern India have killed at least 22 people, as well as causing landslides and flash floods in the region, authorities and local media said on Monday.

Schools in New Delhi were closed after heavy rains lashed the national capital over the weekend, with 15.3cm of rainfall recorded in one day – the most for 40 years.

Authorities in the Himalayan states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand also asked people not to venture out of their homes unless necessary.

A man looks at a swollen river in Kullu, India’s Himachal Pradesh state, on Sunday following heavy rains. Photo: AP
A man looks at a swollen river in Kullu, India’s Himachal Pradesh state, on Sunday following heavy rains. Photo: AP

At least 22 people died in floods and landslides in the northern states of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab on Sunday, the Times of India newspaper reported.

In the northern state of Himachal Pradesh, flash floods over the weekend brought down a bridge and swept away several shanty dwellings.

Authorities used helicopters to rescue people stranded on roads and bridges because of the rain, Asian News International footage showed.

Streets across the northern states, including in Punjab, Delhi and Uttarakhand were flooded. In some areas, rescuers used rubber rafts to rescue people stranded inside their homes, local media said.

Advertisement