GUWAHATI, India (Reuters) -India faced severe weather challenges on Wednesday, including heatwaves, landslides, and floods, resulting in the deaths of at least 11 people. Among them were a woman and her three daughters buried alive in a northeastern state, as reported by officials and media.
The capital, New Delhi, sweltered through its hottest night in six years on Tuesday, with hospitals in the city of 20 million reporting at least five deaths from heatstroke this week, the Times of India newspaper said.
Floods and landslides triggered by incessant rain in the northeastern state of Assam killed at least six people on Tuesday night, officials said.
“A landslide buried a woman and her three daughters alive,” a state disaster management official, Siju Das, said by telephone.
He stated that they died at midnight on the spot since their house was on a slope. Rescuers recovered the bodies after a three-hour search operation.
“A three-year-old was killed too.”
Billions across Asia are facing extreme heat this summer, exacerbated by human-driven climate change, according to scientists.
Temperatures in Delhi and Rajasthan soared to 50 degrees C (122 degrees F) since March. The country’s northwest and east experienced more than double the usual number of heatwave days this season.
These conditions stemmed from fewer thundershowers, as well as warm winds blowing in from neighbouring arid regions.
More than 160,000 people in Assam were affected by flooding. The Kopili River, a major tributary of the Brahmaputra, exceeded its danger level.
Efforts are currently underway to provide relief and support to the affected communities in India amidst the dual challenges of Indian heatwaves floods. Authorities and disaster response teams are actively mobilizing resources to assist those in distress.
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