NEW DELHI: Days of intense monsoon rains across northern India have left at least 29 people dead, rendering many areas inaccessible with bridges smashed and roads blocked, officials said on Monday (Jul 10).
Television footage showed flash floods and landslides triggered by torrential rain, washing away vehicles, demolishing buildings and ripping down bridges in the hilly state of Himachal Pradesh, the worst affected area.
“In the last two days, the death toll due to monsoon rains has risen to 20 in Himachal Pradesh,” said Omkar Sharma, a senior official heading disaster management in the state.
Nine more deaths were reported in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and the Himalayan regions of Uttarakhand and Kashmir, taking the toll of those killed since Saturday from a previously reported 15 to at least 29.
Himachal Pradesh’s Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu expressed “deep sorrow” at the deaths and said the government was “making all-out efforts” to tackle the situation, with more rain predicted.