India monsoon death toll rises
2005-08-05 10:57
Mumbai - Flooding and landslides that started after western India was hammered by monsoon rains last week have killed 1 039 people, a senior Indian official said on Friday.
The precipitation subsided earlier this week, but some districts of Maharashtra state, where Mumbai is located, remained inundated on Friday, said the state's chief secretary, Prem Kumar. More than 200 camps were housing about 200 000 people forced to flee their homes during the rains, he said.
Nearly 70 000 others who fled have returned to their homes, and "the situation is now under control," Kumar said.
The flooding and landslides angered residents of Maharashtra, who blame the government for not building sewage and drainage systems that could handle torrential rains.
Officials say no one could have anticipated the intensity of the rainfall in parts of Mumbai. A record 94cm fell in a 24-hour period on July 26, shutting down the city, India's financial capital, and cutting it off from the rest of the country.
The rainfall had largely ended by Wednesday and relief workers began distributing food and other supplies to marooned villagers as well as residents of Bombay, where nearly 450 people were killed.
The government has so far spent 679 million rupees ($15.6m) to help victims of the disaster.
- AP