At least 11 people died in Maharashtra on Tuesday due to heavy rains in the state caused by Cyclone Gulab, PTI reported. As many as 10 people were killed in floods in the Marathwada region while one more was killed after a bus got swept away in Yavatmal district.
On Tuesday evening, the India Meteorological Department issued a red alert in seven districts of Maharashtra as the Cyclone Gulab moved westward from Telangana. The cyclone, which has now weakened into a depression resulted in heavy rains in several parts of Maharashtra on Tuesday.
A red alert indicates heavy to extremely heavy rains over the next 24 hours.
The weather department said that Mumbai, Dhule, Palghar, Thane, Mumbai, Raigad, Nasik, Ahmednagar, Pune and Satara in Maharashtra could witness moderate rain, accompanied by lightning and gusty winds on Tuesday.
A statement from the Marathwada divisional officer said that three people died due to flooding in Beed district. Two deaths were recorded in each of Osmanabad and Parbhani districts, while one person died in Jalna, Nanded and Latur districts.
In Aurangabad district, the divisional commissioner has sought help from the National Disaster Response Force to tackle the flood situation, The Indian Express reported.
Three rivers flowing from the district – Godavari, Manjra and Purna – are flowing above the danger mark.
The Cyclone Gulab is expected to move towards North East Arabian Sea and the Gujarat coast by September 30, the Hindustan Times said, citing the weather department. Here, it could likely develop into another storm named Shaheen, the weather department said.
Parts of Telangana received heavy rainfall on Monday too. Roads in Hyderabad were flooded, PTI reported.
The India Meteorological Department had on Monday issued an alert about flash floods for 17 districts of Telangana, the Hindustan Times reported.
In view of the weather warning, Telangana declared a holiday for all its government and private offices and educational institutions on Tuesday, according to the newspaper.
Meanwhile, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao assessed the weather situation. He directed Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar to be on alert for the next two days, the Hindustan Times reported.
Apart from Telangana, heavy rain is also likely to occur in parts of Goa, Maharashtra and Gujarat, the weather department said on Tuesday.
Cyclone Gulab, which hit Odisha and Andhra Pradesh on Sunday, has caused four deaths. Heavy rainfall caused by the storm uprooted trees and damaged electric poles. Many trains were cancelled.
The National Disaster Response Force had deployed several rescue teams in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh.
In Odisha, over 100 fire brigade teams and 42 teams of the the State Disaster Rapid Action were sent to Gajapati, Ganjam, Koraput, Rayagada, Nabarangpur, Malkangiri, and Kandhama districts, PTI reported.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!