India: Around 180 people have died in the west Indian state of Maharashtra after torrential monsoon rains caused landslides and flooded low-lying areas, cutting off hundreds of villages.
Around 38 people were killed in Taliye, 180 kilometers (110 miles) southeast of the financial capital Mumbai, when a landslide flattened most of the small village, state government officials said.
The death toll also includes 27 reported deaths from Satara district in the last 48 hours. In nine other landslides in other parts of Maharashtra, 59 people died and another 15 were killed in accidents linked to the heavy rainfall, state government officials said.
“Unexpected very heavy rainfall triggered landslides in many places and flooded rivers,” Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, who heads Maharashtra’s state government told.
“Dams and rivers are overflowing. We are forced to release water from dams, and, accordingly, we are moving people residing near the river banks to safer places,” he said.
