After heatwave, rain causes death, destruction in several states in India

NEW DELHI: After a deadly heatwave, India now finds itself grappling with heavy monsoon rains, which have caused flash floods, damage to roads and property, and a surge in river waters.

Rain-related deaths have occurred in the capital Delhi and other regions.

Five members of a family, including four children, reportedly drowned in a waterfall, a popular tourist spot, in the Lonavala area of Maharashtra, about 80 km from Mumbai.

A heart-wrenching video of the incident on Sunday showed them holding on to each other in their attempt to get out as the strong water current swept them away.

According to local media reports, two other members of the family managed to swim to safety.

In Uttar Pradesh state’s Mathura city, about 160 km from New Delhi, two people were killed and 12 seriously injured on Sunday after a 250,000-litre water tank collapsed.

Normal life was disrupted in some Gujarat cities, including Ahmedabad and Surat, due to water-logging even as more rain is predicted in the region.

A canopy collapsed at Gujarat’s Rajkot airport amid rains on Saturday.

Bihar, Arunachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand were among the states where the India Meteorological Department reported heavy rains on Sunday.

Lightning killed at least two people in Assam while incessant rains in Arunachal Pradesh since Saturday worsened flooding in the northeastern region.

With the water level rising in the Brahmaputra river, ferry services were suspended in some places in Assam.

A bridge over the Imphal River collapsed in Manipur state on Sunday, killing a truck driver.

A landslide halted traffic on a road in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district.

Videos circulating on social media showed cars being swept away by rising river water in Haridwar in Uttarakhand state. Monsoon rains last week triggered landslides in the Shimla, Kullu and Kinnaur districts of Himachal Pradesh.

In Delhi, four people drowned in flooded underpasses, taking the rain death toll to 11 since Friday’s heavy rainfall.

The Indian capital suffered traffic chaos as roads and underpasses were inundated following the deluge.

Delhi airport’s Terminal 1, mostly used by domestic carriers IndiGo and SpiceJet, remains closed due to structural damage in the rainfall on Friday.

Its flights have been moved to Terminal 2 and 3 of Indira Gandhi International Airport.

One man was killed and eight people injured after Terminal 1’s roof collapsed.

India this summer suffered a severe heatwave, with temperatures in some northwestern regions reaching close to 50 degrees Celsius.