Death Toll Rises Due to Floods and Rain in India

Intense monsoon rains in northern and eastern India have caused floods and landslides that have claimed the lives of 50 people over the past three days, reports Reuters, citing local authorities.

Heavy rainfall has swept away homes in hundreds of villages, leaving residents stranded, while rescue teams have been urgently evacuating survivors. Earlier, the federal meteorological office predicted that average rainfall is likely in August and September in India, indicating that crops will generally be good in the third-largest economy in Asia, which relies on agriculture to drive growth and create jobs.

Agriculture accounts for about 15 percent of India's $2.7 trillion economy. Over the past three days, heavy rains in the Himalayan state of Himachal Pradesh, accompanied by landslides and floods, have reportedly claimed at least 36 lives, according to a government representative from the state. In neighboring Uttarakhand, an official report indicates that four people have died and 13 are missing due to continuous rains.

In the eastern state of Odisha, the death toll from torrential rains has reached at least six. Approximately 800,000 people have been affected by the floods in Odisha, with thousands forced to leave their homes. The rains have disrupted electricity and water supplies, damaging road infrastructure. Around 120,000 people have been evacuated from the affected areas in the state. Meanwhile, in Eastern Jharkhand, the Nalkari River has flooded, sweeping away five individuals, four of whose bodies have been recovered.