At least 62 individuals have lost their lives due to continuous heavy rainfall and flooding in the northern region of India’s Uttar Pradesh state, as confirmed by officials on Monday. The state authorities reported 46 individuals sustaining injuries and over 1,000 residences suffering damage following three consecutive days of intense downpours leading to flooding across multiple districts.
As a precautionary measure, schools in various parts of Uttar Pradesh, including its capital Lucknow, remained shut on Monday. Rescue teams actively relocated residents from inundated areas to safer zones. The public was strongly advised to refrain from unnecessary travel through waterlogged regions and to steer clear of swiftly flowing rivers, streams, and drains.
According to Atul Kumar Singh, a senior scientist at the Regional Meteorological Centre in Lucknow, the weather forecast indicated a reduction in rainfall starting from Monday as a weather system weakening over the Bay of Bengal. However, intermittent light showers were anticipated to persist in the eastern and western sectors of the state until Tuesday.
Furthermore, flooding impacted the eastern state of Odisha, prompting the evacuation of more than 75,000 individuals to secure locations, as per official reports. In the neighboring country of Nepal, adverse weather conditions resulted in 21 fatalities from Thursday through Sunday, with the nation’s disaster management agency disclosing five individuals as missing and five others sustaining injuries. Moreover, 194 residences were damaged due to floods and landslides.
Nepal continues its recovery efforts from the catastrophic floods in August that claimed over 1,400 lives and left almost 6,000 individuals unaccounted for.