Hundreds of dead in heavy monsoon rains in India

Vehicles, bridges and entire homes were swept away by the heavy rain. In the past two weeks, hundreds of Indians have lost their lives in the rainy weather. Local authorities said at least 88 of them died in the hardest-hit mountain state of Himachal Pradesh. The region is located in the Himalayan mountain range, about 500 kilometers north of New Delhi.

Helicopters rescued the tourists

Authorities deployed helicopters to rescue about 300 people – mostly tourists – stranded in the hardest-hit country.

In New Delhi, residential areas near the Jamuna River have been evacuated and people have had to take refuge in temporary shelters such as tents and shelters. Local emergency services said in a statement that authorities had moved nearly 30,000 people to shelters or schools converted into temporary housing.

More rain is expected

Heavy rains and floods are common during the monsoon period which falls between June and September, but this year there has actually been an extraordinary amount of rain. More rains in the form of heavy rains are expected in the next few days in the northern parts of India, according to a report from the country’s Meteorological Institute.

According to scientists, monsoons are behaving increasingly skewed due to climate change, leading to frequent landslides and floods.