Deaths from heavy monsoon rise to nearly 140 in eastern India

The death toll in eastern India from torrential late monsoon rains has risen to nearly 140, officials said Tuesday as hospitals and schools were inundated with dirty rainwater.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has said the current monsoon has been the heaviest since 1994, classifying it "above normal", and this year's season has been longer than usual.

Over the past four days 111 people have died in Uttar Pradesh state and another 28 lost their lives in neighbouring Bihar, government officials told AFP.

Some 900 inmates had to be shifted from a Ballia district prison in Uttar Pradesh to "ensure their safety and health" after rainwater flooded the premises.

Residents of Patna -- the capital of Bihar, home to two million people -- used lifeboats to escape heavily water-logged homes.

Although the rains have stopped, large swathes of the city remained submerged, with schools and shops shut.

Images showed rainwater swamping hospital wards and residential areas where disaster management officials delivered milk, bananas and drinking water pouches on inflatable boats.

The annual monsoon season usually lasts from June to September but late heavy rains have continued to lash several parts of the country this year, wreaking havoc.

"In spite of late monsoon onset and large deficient rainfall during the month of June, the seasonal rainfall ended in above normal category," the IMD said on Monday.

Related Links
Bringing Order To A World Of Disasters
When the Earth Quakes
A world of storm and tempest

Tweet

Thanks for being there;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.

SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5+ Billed Monthly

paypal only

SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once

credit card or paypal

EIB loans Greece 150 mn euros for flood protection
Athens (AFP) Sept 26, 2019
The European Investment Bank on Thursday said it was loaning Greece 150 million euros ($166 million) for flood protection projects after two deadly emergencies in the last two years. The EIB said the loan, part of an overall 355-million-euro scheme, was its largest ever support for new investment to protect homes and businesses in the greater Athens area, Thessaloniki and the Peloponnese. In November 2017, 23 people died in a flash flood in Mandra, on the outskirts of the capital. In July, seven ... read more