Floods and mud raise monsoon death toll to 75

More than 10,000 people have been evacuated from villages in western India after torrential monsoon rains killed at least 75 people in two states and flooded Mumbai, the country’s financial and entertainment capital, government officials said today.

At least 63 people died in the western state of Gujarat over the past two days, while 12 died in Maharashtra, officials said.

Roughly 5,000 in each state have been evacuated from low-lying areas.

Ramesh Kumar, Maharashtra state secretary for relief and rehabilitation, said the situation was returning to normal with the flood waters receding in most villages.

Two units of the national disaster response force helped rescue villagers and set up special relief camps, he said.

“The rains have just about subsided, but this is the beginning of the monsoon season so we will need to continue to be vigilant,” Kumar said.

The 12 Maharashtra deaths were reported from the Amravati district, about 435 miles north-east of Mumbai, the capital of Maharashtra state, said P Kamath, a state disaster management official.

They raised the overall toll in the state from monsoon weather over the last ten days to 42.