A report issued by India’s Ministry of Home Affairs Disaster Management Division, claims that at least 480 people have died in rain and flood related incidents since the start of this year’s monsoon in June.
As many as 6,187 homes have been destroyed and 62,599 damaged.
National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has deployed 53 teams, made up of a total of 2,010 to the affected states to carry out rescue and relief operations.
The deaths occurred in 11 states across the country:
- Arunachal Pradesh – 38
- Assam – 36
- Bihar – 95
- Gujarat – 47
- Jammu and Kashmir – 3
- Madhya Pradesh – 70
- Maharashtra – 81
- Meghalaya – 4
- Odisha – 2
- Uttar Pradesh – 32
- Uttarakhand – 72
Rajasthan
Since the Home Ministry report, severe flooding has affected the state of Rajasthan, where at least 7 people have died, bringing the total number of states affected to twelve, and the total number of fatalities to 487.
Maharashtra
Heavy rain caused the Savitri river to overflow in early August, causing a bridge which spans the river and forms parts of the Mumbai-Goa highway, to collapse.
As of 07 August, 25 bodies had been found from the 2 buses and several cars that were swept away after the collapse. The bridge is situated in Mahad, Raigad district of Maharashtra. A further 13 people are still thought to be missing.
Search teams were on the verge of calling off the search on 11 August as conditions worsened, including the presence of crocodiles and strong currents. However, a last minute breakthrough was made. India disaster management officials reported that NDRF and Navy search teams had located the two buses swept away, 8 metres deep in the river, around 180 metres from the bridge.
@SpokespersonMoD Spot diving carried out despite presence of crocodiles,strong currents & tough overall conditions. pic.twitter.com/nJbGFTcHnq
— SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) August 11, 2016
#SAR #MahadBridgeCollapse Naval Divers locate wreckage of 2 buses near collapsed bridge. Depth 8m @SpokespersonMoD pic.twitter.com/HitJbVIXxO
— SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) August 11, 2016
Assam
The state disaster management agency in Assam report that the flood situation has improved and many of those displaced are starting to return home. As of 08 August, 1,248 people were staying in relief camps. At the peak of the floods, 229,544 people had been displaced and were accommodated in 517 relief camps.
Bihar
The situation in Bihar is also said to be improving. However, as of 08 August, there still remained 386,449 people in relief camps.
Summaries of the major flood events in India over the last few weeks are listed below. Reports and articles for floods in India can be found here.
