24 People Dead, Dozens Missing Due to Floods in Northern India

Landslides and flashfloods triggered by several days of heavy rains have left about 24 people dead and more than a dozen still missing in Uttarakhand which is in the northern part of India.

There have also been warnings from forecasters that more heavy rain should be expected in the coming days in the southern state of Kerala where 27 people have been reportedly dead due to the floods since last Friday.

Officials of Uttarakhand said 18 people were killed in fresh landslides today after six died in similar incidents a day earlier. At least 13 of them were killed in three separate incidents after a cloudburst — an ultra-intense deluge of rain and triggered a landslide and destroyed several structures.

The Indian Meteorological Department extended and widened its weather alert today, predicting “heavy” to “very heavy” rainfall in the region over the next two days. Dolupo Balogun

Flash floods IN Uttarakhand_in_2012

The weather office said several areas were drenched by more than 400 millimeters (16 inches) of rainfall on Monday, causing landslides and flooding.

The government have ordered the closure of schools and banned all religious and tourist activities in the state.

More than 100 tourists were stuck inside a resort in Ramgarh after the overflowing Kosi river deluged several areas.

Landslides are a regular danger in India’s Himalayan north, but experts say they are becoming more common as rains become increasingly erratic and glaciers melt. Experts also blame construction work on hydroelectric dams and deforestation.

India’s weather office forecasted heavy rains will again affect the state in the next two days after a brief reprieve today.

Dolupo Balogun

Written by BoomRadioNG