Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Monday, August 12, 2002
Torrential Rains Kill 43 People in Northern India
Landslides resulted from torrential monsoon rains submerged several villages in remote hilly areas in northern India early Sunday and killed at least 43 people, according to government resources.
Landslides resulted from torrential monsoon rains submerged several villages in remote hilly areas in northern India early Sunday and killed at least 43 people, according to government resources.
The death toll continued to mount as rescuers battled heavyrain to clear debris and pull out bodies from piles of mud, rocks and uprooted trees.
Rescue efforts were hampered by pouring rain and lack of roads in Uttaranchal state, nearly 300 kilometers northeast of thecapital New Delhi.
Helicopters carrying equipment and additional rescue workers had not been able to land because of rain and poor light, Singh said. The district headquarters were yet to receive information about some of the more remote villages that lack telephones or accessible roads.
Uma Kant Panwar, the top district administrator, said that in the Dhansali region of the district, several villages were swept away and many houses were demolished or damaged.
In India, the monsoon season begins in June and ends in late September. Floods this year have hit Bihar state in the east and several provinces in the remote northeast, killing at least 250 people.