Maharashtra on high alert as heavy rain leaves 6 dead

Mumbai: Six people lost their lives in Maharashtra as heavy rains have caused widespread devastation. Rains lashed western Maharashtra, Konkan and Marathwada and paralysed road and rail traffic in Mumbai.

The worst-hit has been Marathwada, a perennial drought-prone region of the state. Marathwada, which has received record rains, got more than 65mm rain in the 24 hours between Saturday and Sunday in 57 of its revenue circles. The situation was exacerbated by a 'cloud burst' in Mukhed taluka in Nanded district that brought a torrent of water, leaving several villages inundated, stranding residents. Government officials said that three people have died in Nanded, one in Hingoli and two in Beed.

Detailing how bad the situation in Nanded was, CM Devendra Fadnavis said, "206 mm of rain has fallen (in a day). It was like a cloud burst. Five people are missing in the flood waters. There is a possibility that 150 heads of livestock have been washed away. We had rushed the NDRF and SDRF, and a military team had reached the spot to rescue people."


The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), along with the Rapid Action Force and an army team from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, have been rushed in to rescue people. Fadnavis held a review meeting of the state disaster management cell along with the divisional commissioners and district collectors as heavy rains have been forecast in several parts of the state in the next 24 hours. Mumbai, Thane, Raigad, Ghat region in Nashik have been placed on red alert.