A series of cloudbursts struck different parts of J&K, and Ladakh killing eight people
Flash floods in Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh killed at least 17 people, damaged several houses and a mini hydro-power plant while many north Indian states received widespread rainfall on Wednesday.
However, rain intensity reduced in western Maharashtra after widespread damage caused by floods even as the death count in the calamity rose to 213.
A series of cloudbursts struck different parts of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh killing eight people while 17 went missing.
Dacchan and Boujwa areas in Kishtwar, the holy cave shrine of Amarnath in south Kashmir Himalayas, Bandipora in north Kashmir and Kargil in Ladakh was hit by cloudbursts that also damaged dozens of residential houses, many bridges and a mini-hydropower project.
Seven bodies were recovered from the worst-hit Dacchin area of Kishtwar and 17 people were rescued in a joint operation by the police, Army and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF). In Rajouri district, a person drowned in the swollen Saktoi nallah.
Police officials said the cloudburst in Kishtwar happened around 4.30 am triggering flash floods in the remote village located on the banks of a stream.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the Centre is closely monitoring the situation in Kishtwar and all possible assistance is being provided to the affected areas as he wished for everyone''s safety and well-being.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke to Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and DGP Dilbagh Singh and took stock of the situation.
Director General of Police-cum-Commandant General Home Guard, Civil Defence and SDRF, VK Singh, said two women are among the seven people killed in the cloudburst. Floods have also been reported from Machail, Paddar and Bunjwah in the district.
The district development commissioner of Kishtwar said two cloudbursts struck the remote Lambard area overnight but there was no report of any loss of life.
Two columns of the Army have been mobilised to help the civil administration in the rescue operation.
A cloudburst also occurred near the holy cave shrine of Amarnath in south Kashmir Himalayas on Wednesday afternoon leading to shooting stones that damaged some tents, but there was no loss of life.
A similar calamity caused flash floods at Aloosa village in Bandipora district of north Kashmir, but there was no report of any casualty. Two bridges were damaged in Udhampur and Rajouri districts as incessant rains continued to lash wide parts of Jammu and Kashmir.
In Ladakh, two cloudbursts hit different areas of Kargil damaging a mini hydro-power project, nearly a dozen residential houses and standing crops. However, no loss of life was reported in the cloudbursts, which struck Sangra and Khangral on Tuesday evening.
In Himachal Pradesh, at least nine people were killed and seven reported missing in flash floods triggered by heavy rainfall.
Seven people died in Lahaul-Spiti flash floods triggered by a cloudburst over Tozing Nullah in Udaipur while two men died in Chamba district. In Kullu district, four people, including a hydro project official and a Delhi tourist, are missing and feared dead.
In Lahaul-Spiti''s Udaipur, 12 labourers were washed in flash floods around 8 pm on Tuesday. Seven bodies were recovered, two rescued with injuries and three are still missing.
Four of the dead are from Himachal Pradesh's Mandi while one is from Reasi of Jammu and Kashmir. Two bodies are yet to be identified.
Lahaul-Spiti Deputy Commissioner Neeraj Kumar told PTI that a team of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) had been requisitioned for rescuing the labourers trapped under the debris of the landslide.
Several roads have been blocked in Lahaul-Spiti and around 60 vehicles are stranded due to multiple landslides, officials said.
Rain drenched Delhi for the second consecutive day keeping the mercury in check. The weather department said the city is in for a week-long spell of "light to moderate" rain with the monsoon trough passing through the region.
The Safdarjung Observatory, considered the official marker for the city, recorded 4.1 mm rainfall between 8:30 am and 5:30 pm.
Heavy rains also lashed several parts of neighbouring Haryana leading to waterlogging in many areas, with Gurgaon turning out to be the worst-hit place.
Rains also lashed a few parts of Punjab with Chandigarh receiving showers during the day.
In Gurgaon, heavy downpours led to waterlogging in many areas causing traffic snarls. According to the meteorological department, Gurgaon received 91.8 mm rain during the day.
Landslides triggered by heavy rains over the past few days blocked highways in Gangotri and Yamunotri at a number of points in Uttarakhand''s Uttarkashi district. In neighbouring Uttar Pradesh, moderate to heavy rain and thundershower occurred at most places.
The death count in last week's rain-related incidents in Maharashtra rose to 213 on Wednesday with the worst-hit Raigad district alone accounting for nearly 100 fatalities, the state government said.
After widespread damage, the rain intensity has reduced in western Maharashtra, leading to a dip in the water level of the major rivers which were earlier flowing above the danger mark in Kolhapur and Sangli.
The India Meteorological Department said widespread rainfall with isolated heavy to very heavy rains are likely to continue over Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttrakhand, Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh till July 30 and reduce thereafter.
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