Thirty dead in floods and landslides in northwest India

At least 30 people were killed in the Himalayan region of Jammu and Kashmir in northwest India following floods and landslides caused by heavy rains, local authorities announced on Wednesday, August 27. The people were swept away by the floodwaters that covered a road leading to the Hindu temple of Vaishno Devi, a rescue official told Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Floods and landslides are common in northern India during the monsoon season, which runs from June to September. Scientists say climate change, combined with inadequate infrastructure development, has increased their frequency, severity, and impact.
Heavy rains hit the Indian part of Kashmir on Tuesday, causing rivers to quickly swell and flood many homes. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was "deeply saddened" by the loss of life.
Jhelum River above its warning levelAccording to the federal government's representative in the region, Manoj Sinha, more than 5,000 people have been evacuated. "We are ensuring that emergency supplies and all possible assistance are quickly provided to the victims," he said, adding that the army had been mobilized to help them.
Schools in the region affected by the rains have been closed, local official Omar Abdullah said, adding that rescue efforts have been slowed due to "almost non-existent communications." Jammu and Kashmir's main river, the Jhelum, has exceeded its warning level, particularly in the main city, Srinagar.
Already on August 14, powerful torrents, triggered by intense rain, devastated the village of Chisoti, in the same region, leaving 65 dead and 33 missing . A few days earlier, on August 5, the town of Dharali, in the neighboring state of Uttarakhand, was submerged by a wave of mud. The probable death toll from this disaster exceeds 70, but has not been confirmed.
The World with AFP
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