Latest News
Torrential rains kill over 160 in India, dozens trapped in landslides
Rescue teams in India were digging through thick sludge and debris on Monday to find over 60 people trapped in landslides caused by torrential monsoon rains that have so far claimed more than 160 lives in four days.
The western states of Maharashtra and Goa, as well as Karnataka and Telangana in the south, are the most affected by heavy rains that have flooded croplands over thousands of hectares and forced authorities to move over 230,000 people to safer places.
In Maharashtra, 149 people have died mainly in landslides and other monsoon-related accidents, while another 64 are still missing, the state government said in a statement.
“We are trying hard to rescue people trapped under landslide debris in Raigad and Satara but the possibility of evacuating them alive is remote. They are trapped under mud for more than three days,” said a senior official with the state government, referring to two badly affected districts.
Rescuers couldn’t reach affected villages quickly because approach roads were cut off by overflowing rivers and landslides, officials said.
In Karnataka and Telangana, more than a dozen people died because of floods but waters in the main Krishna and Godavari rivers are receding, authorities said.
In Goa, a hugely popular tourist destination on the western coast, hundreds of houses were damaged as the state recorded the worst floods in nearly four decades, the state’s chief minister Pramod Sawant said.
Rains are easing on the west coast and that will help in rescue operations, said a Pune-based senior scientist with the India Meteorological Department.
“This week also, the west coast will receive rainfall, but the intensity would be much lower compared to the last week,” he said.
Last week, parts of India’s west coast received up to 594 mm (23 inches) of rainfall over 24 hours, forcing authorities to evacuate people from vulnerable areas as they released water from dams that were threatening to overflow.
Latest News
Khalilzad questions Pakistan’s commitment to Afghan welfare
Latest News
India, UN envoy discuss Afghanistan’s humanitarian needs
Latest News
Kazakhstan calls for coordinated international engagement with Afghanistan
Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi has called for pragmatic and coordinated international engagement with Afghanistan, saying the country’s long-term stability is closely linked to the security and sustainable development of Central Asia.
Speaking during the general debate of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Friday, Tileuberdi said humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan remains essential but alone cannot break the cycle of poverty, displacement and dependency.
He said Kazakhstan supports a “pragmatic, coordinated and step-by-step” approach to international engagement with Afghanistan, with the United Nations playing a central role.
Tileuberdi also said Kazakhstan is working with the UN to operationalize the United Nations Regional Centre for the Sustainable Development Goals for Central Asia and Afghanistan in Almaty.
He said the success of the centre should be measured by the results and assistance it delivers to the region.
-
World5 days agoCNN, MS NOW and Politico sue Trump, challenging White House ban
-
Latest News3 days agoAriana Afghan Airlines ranks seventh among 45 Central Asian airlines
-
Latest News4 days agoUN reiterates call for respect for international law after Kunar airstrikes
-
Regional3 days agoUS and Iran hold first talks since June after Trump’s ‘annihilation’ threat
-
Latest News3 days agoSilk Road highway in Wakhan corridor now reaches the China border
-
Latest News4 days agoAfghan Official: Pakistan’s airstrikes will not go unanswered
-
Sport4 days agoAfghan boxing referee heads to China for international festival
-
Regional3 days agoIran airlines cancel flights as US sanctions hit
