According to news agency PTI, at least 42 people have perished in Maharashtra as a result of rain-related accidents, with 36 of them dying in a landslide in the coastal Raigad district.
According to a senior official from the disaster management department, six people were killed in rain-related accidents in Satara district on Friday, including landslides, and three people were missing in floodwaters. A landslide in Mirgaon village is thought to have trapped at least 12 people under the rubble.
In a second instance, police said 11 persons on board a bus narrowly avoided being carried away into a river in the Kolhapur district after being rescued moments before the vehicle was washed away.
On Thursday evening, teams from the NDRF, SDRF, Navy, and local government were dispatched to the impacted regions. However, severe rains, flooding, and communication difficulties hampered rescue operations. The precise number of casualties has yet to be determined by local authorities.
The India Meteorological Department has issued a red alert for six areas that have already been flooded, predicting “very severe” rains and advising residents to take precautions.
The alert was issued for the next 24 hours for the coastal Konkan districts of Raigad, Ratnagiri, and Sindhudurg, as well as Western Maharashtra’s Pune, Satara, and Kolhapur.
According to news agency ANI, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said rescue operations were underway and that he had ordered the evacuation and transfer of residents residing in regions where landslides are a possibility. According to the statement, the CM has also urged the authorities to safeguard the safety of COVID-19 patients receiving treatment in various institutions.
Expressing his condolences to the bereaved families of the deceased, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the situation in Maharashtra was being closely monitored and assistance was being provided to the affected.
