After heatwave, rain causes death and destruction in several Indian states

NEW DELHI: After a deadly heatwave, India is now battling heavy monsoon rains that have caused flash floods, damage to roads and property, and a rush of rivers.

Rain-related deaths occurred in the capital Delhi and other regions.

Five members of a family, including four children, reportedly drowned at a waterfall, a popular tourist attraction in the Lonavala region of Maharashtra, about 80 kilometers from Mumbai.

A heartbreaking video of Sunday’s incident showed them holding on to each other as they tried to get out as they were swept away by the strong current.

According to local media reports, two other family members managed to swim to safety.

In the city of Mathura in the state of Uttar Pradesh, about 160 kilometers from New Delhi, two people were killed and 12 seriously injured on Sunday when a 250,000-liter water tank collapsed.

Flooding has disrupted normal life in some cities in the state of Gujarat, including Ahmedabad and Surat, although further rain is forecast for the region.

Heavy rain caused a canopy to collapse at Rajkot airport in the state of Gujarat on Saturday.

Bihar, Arunachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand were among the states where the India Meteorological Department reported heavy rains on Sunday.

In Assam, at least two people were killed by lightning strikes, while in Arunachal Pradesh, persistent rains since Saturday worsened floods in the northeastern region.

Due to the rising water level of the Brahmaputra, ferry services have been suspended in some places in Assam.

On Sunday, a bridge over the Imphal River collapsed in the state of Manipur, killing a truck driver.

A landslide brought traffic to a standstill on a road in Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir.

Videos circulating on social media showed cars being washed away by rising river waters in Haridwar in Uttarakhand state. Monsoon rains triggered landslides in Shimla, Kullu and Kinnaur districts of Himachal Pradesh last week.

In Delhi, four people drowned in flooded underpasses, bringing the death toll since heavy rains on Friday to 11.

There was traffic chaos in the Indian capital as streets and underpasses were flooded as a result of the flood.

Terminal 1 of Delhi airport, which is mainly used by domestic airlines IndiGo and SpiceJet, will remain closed on Friday due to damage to buildings caused by rain.

The flights were relocated to Terminals 2 and 3 of Indira Gandhi International Airport.

When the roof of Terminal 1 collapsed, one man was killed and eight people were injured.

India was hit by a severe heatwave this summer, with temperatures reaching nearly 50 degrees Celsius in some northwestern regions.