New Delhi: At least 22 people have died as a result of the torrential rain that has hit northern India, according to local media and government officials. The rain also caused landslides and flash floods in the area.
Authorities in the Himalayan states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand urged residents not to leave their homes unless absolutely necessary, and schools in New Delhi were closed as a result of the national capital's weekend flooding.
According to the Times of India newspaper, landslides and floods claimed the lives of at least 22 people on Sunday in the northern states of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Punjab.
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Over the weekend, flash floods in the Himachal Pradesh state in the north brought down a bridge and swept away several hutments. According to video from Reuters partner ANI, authorities used helicopters to rescue people who had become stuck on roads and bridges due to the rain.
Punjab, Delhi, and Uttarakhand were among the northern states where streets were flooded. According to local media, rescue workers in some areas used rubber rafts to save people trapped inside their homes.
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Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, the chief minister of Himachal Pradesh, issued a request on social media late on Sunday, asking people to stay inside their homes because more intense rain is anticipated in the upcoming 24 hours.
According to a senior weather department official, many districts in Himachal Pradesh experienced a month's worth of rain in a single day over the weekend.
The department reports that so far in the current monsoon season, which began on June 1, Delhi, Punjab, and Himachal Pradesh have received 112%, 100%, and 70% more rainfall than average.