Maharashtra rains: Death toll rises to 207; 11 people still missing

The death toll in rain-related incidents in Maharashtra rose to 207 on Tuesday with the worst-hit Raigad district alone accounting for nearly 100 fatalities, while 11 persons are still missing, the state government said.

Heavy rains last week caused massive floods and landslides in large parts of the state, especially in the coastal Konkan and Western Maharashtra regions. Out of the 207 deaths caused due to heavy rains and floods since last week, the maximum 95 were from Raigad district followed by 45 in Satara, 35 in Ratnagiri, 12 in Thane, 7 in Kolhapur, 4 in Mumbai suburban, 3 in Pune, two each in Sindhudurg, Wardha and Akola districts, said a statement issued by the state disaster management department. Eleven people are still missing, while 51 are injured and being treated at various government as well as private hospitals, it said. Most of the deaths in Raigad, Satara and Ratnagiri districts were caused due to landslides, while floods claimed lives in Kolhapur and Sangli. Since June 1, as many as 294 people have died in rain-related incidents in Maharashtra, the statement said. Local officials are struggling to expedite the rescue operations chiefly because of the difficult terrain and intermittent showers that are affecting their task, said an official from the disaster management department. Floods have also killed 29,100 domestic animals, mostly in Sangli, Kolhapur, Satara and Sindhudurg districts, the statement said.

Showers over the Sahyadri mountains, which are parts of the Western Ghats have increased water level of rivers flowing through Satara, Sangli and Kolhapur districts, forcing the administration to evacuate more people. As many as 3,75,178 people have been evacuated so far, of which 2,06,619 are from Sangli alone, the statement said. It may be noted that Sangli district did not receive heavy rainfall, but heavy discharge of water from the Koyna dam in Satara district resulted in Sangli city and several villages getting flooded. The dam is built on the Koyna river, a tributary of the Krishna river. There are 259 relief camps for the evacuated people of which 253 are in Kolhapur and six in Ratnagiri districts.