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At least 11 dead, thousands evacuated as flash floods hit western India

Reuters
Mumbai, IndiaUpdated: Sep 26, 2019, 03:35 PM IST
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Damage after Heavy rains in Pune. Photograph:(Reuters)

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More than 28,000 people have been evacuated from low-lying areas and the local administration is on alert for more rain, Deepak Mhaisekar told Reuters.

 At least 11 people have been killed and six are missing after Pune and its neighbouring areas were hit by heavy rain and flash floods, a government official said on Wednesday.

More than 28,000 people have been evacuated from low-lying areas and the local administration is on alert for more rain, Deepak Mhaisekar told Reuters.

Pune, which is around 200 kilometers (124 miles) from Mumbai, has received 113 per cent more rainfall than average since the start of the monsoon season in early June, a weather department official said.

Of the 11 deaths, five occurred in Pune when a wall collapsed, said Mhaisekar.

South Asia gets monsoon rain annually during the June-September months which causes fatalities and mass displacement.

India's monsoons, which deliver more than 70 per cent of the country's annual rainfall, are crucial for farm output and economic growth, but rainfall often weakens the foundations of poorly built walls and buildings resulting in deaths