Heavy Rains Ravage India, Trigger Floods and Landslides

Heavy rains and cloudbursts have caused widespread destruction across India. Key regions affected include Jammu and Kashmir, Kerala, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, and West Bengal, leading to floods, landslides, and evacuation of thousands. Rescue operations are ongoing in several regions, with significant damage reported in Himachal Pradesh and Kerala.

Heavy rains lashed western and central parts of India on Sunday while a cloudburst in Jammu and Kashmir led to the closure of the arterial Srinagar-Leh national highway, cutting off the Kashmir Valley from Ladakh and rendering the Baltal base camp for the Amarnath Yatra inaccessible.

In Uttar Pradesh, five people died in rain-related incidents within 24 hours, as six districts remained flood-affected. The recent landslides in Kerala's Wayanad and Himachal Pradesh have led to death tolls of 221 and 13, respectively. Over 400 stranded pilgrims on the rain-ravaged trek route to Uttarakhand's Kedarnath were evacuated.

The water level of rivers such as Godavari in Maharashtra and Kharkai in Jharkhand rose due to relentless rains, prompting local administrations to issue alerts and deploy Army personnel for rescue operations. In West Bengal, the Damodar Valley Corporation released 1.2 lakh cusecs of water from its dams, impacting several districts. Rescue operations continued in landslide-hit areas of Kerala and Himachal Pradesh, as the India Meteorological Department warned of more heavy rainfall in the coming days.

(With inputs from agencies.)