Key Points
- Three days of heavy rain and flooding in Uttar Pradesh
- Dozens were injured, and thousands of homes and hectares of farmland were damaged
- Rescue and evacuation continue from flooded areas as authorities assess the damage
ISLAMABAD: At least 81 people have been killed after three days of heavy rain and flooding in northern India’s Uttar Pradesh state, officials said.
The state government said 46 people were injured and more than 1,000 houses were damaged after intense rainfall that caused flooding across several districts. Local reports put the number of damaged houses at more than 2,000.
Schools closed
Schools were closed in several affected areas, including the state capital Lucknow. Authorities advised the residents to avoid unnecessary travel through waterlogged areas and stay away from fast-flowing rivers, streams and drains.
The flooding followed unusually heavy rainfall between September 25 and 27. Uttar Pradesh recorded 66.5 millimetres of rain during the period, compared with a normal 7.6 millimetres, according to state officials.
The rains resulted from a weather system over central India. However, meteorologists forecast that the weather system was weakening, leaving fewer chances of heavy rain. Light rain, however, was expected to continue in parts of Uttar Pradesh.
Flooding has also affected other parts of northern and eastern India. Officials said more than 75,000 people were evacuated from flood-affected areas in Odisha.
The latest flooding comes near the end of India’s annual monsoon season, which runs broadly from June through September and regularly brings heavy rainfall, river flooding and landslides across parts of the country.
READ ALSO: US Muslim Civil Rights Group Urges State Department To Stop Mosque Demolition In India
Neighbouring Nepal has also suffered severe weather, with at least 21 people killed in weather-related incidents between Thursday and Sunday, while floods and landslides damaged homes and left people missing.
Rescue and relief operations continue in affected areas as authorities assess casualties and damage.
