Flood-hit Maharashtra's death toll rises to 149, 64 missing

A total of 2.29 laks people have been evacuated from the affected districts in the Konkan region and western Maharashtra, to safer places, the state government said

The death toll in various rain-related incidents, including floods and landslides, in Maharashtra rose to 149 on Sunday with 36 more bodies being found in Satara and Raigad districts as rescue operations gathered pace, while 64 people remain missing, the state government said.

As floods and landslides continue to create havoc in the state, 34 self-contained National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams have been deployed in view of the prevailing situation in Maharashtra.

So far, 50 people have been injured in these incidents, it said in a statement. A total of 2,29,074 people have been evacuated from the affected districts in the Konkan region and western Maharashtra, to safer places. A statement from the state secretariat control room said 28 more deaths were reported from the Satara district in western Maharashtra and 8 from the Raigad district in the coastal region.

The government said 60 deaths were so far reported in Raigad, 21 in Ratnagiri, 41 in Satara, 12 in Thane, seven in Kolhapur, four in suburban Mumbai, and two each in Sindhudurg and Pune. A total of 875 villages in Kolhapur, Sangli, Satara and Pune were affected by the torrential rains, it said.

"Five relief camps have been set up in flood-hit Chiplun city in Ratnagiri district. 25 teams of the NDRF, four teams of the SDRF, two teams of the Coast Guard, five teams of the Navy and three teams of the Army are conducting the relief and rescue operations," the statement said. As the bridge over the Vashishthi river connecting Chiplun to Mumbai has collapsed, the road remains shut for the traffic.

The state government has provided a emergency financial aid of Rs 2 crore each to Raigad and Ratnagiri districts. Satara, Sangli, Pune, Kolhapur, Thane and Sindhudurg, also affected by rains, were provided with a financial aid of Rs 50 lakh each, the statement said.

Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray visited Chiplun, the site of severe flooding, and interacted with residents, businessmen and shopkeepers. He promised them all help from the state government to restore normalcy in the area. Thackeray said they will require "central assistance for long-term mitigation measures", and added that he will tour western Maharashtra on Monday and comprehensive data of the extent of damages will be prepared.

Heavy rains earlier this week triggered landslides in some areas of Maharashtra including the deadliest one at Taliye village in the Raigad district.

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