Severe monsoon rains have wreaked havoc in India’s Gujarat state, leading to the tragic loss of at least 28 lives over the past three days. The fatalities resulted from a combination of drowning incidents and accidents involving falling trees, according to government officials.
The Indian Meteorological Department has issued a warning, indicating that more heavy rainfall is expected in the western coastal state on Thursday.
The torrential downpours have caused rivers to overflow, forcing more than 30,000 residents to flee their homes. The Gujarat state government reported late Wednesday that 13 of the deaths were due to drowning, while the remaining fatalities occurred when collapsing houses and trees struck victims.
The Indian Express newspaper has reported a higher death toll, stating that 35 people have lost their lives across the state.
Rescue operations, led by disaster response teams and the army, have successfully saved 1,856 people from flood-affected areas. Vadodara, one of the worst-hit cities, is grappling with severe disruptions, including widespread power outages affecting around 1,000 villages.
Dramatic images and videos released by disaster response officials show rescue teams navigating the surging floodwaters in inflatable boats and makeshift rafts to reach stranded individuals.
While heavy rains cause significant damage in India every year, experts suggest that climate change is intensifying weather patterns and leading to an increase in extreme weather events.
This latest disaster in Gujarat follows last week's floods and landslides in the northeastern state of Tripura, where more than 20 people lost their lives. Meanwhile, in neighboring Bangladesh, floods have claimed at least 40 lives over the same period, forcing nearly 300,000 residents to seek refuge in emergency shelters.
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