10 dead, 7 missing after rescue boat capsizes in Maharashtra, India
Image credit: TEN NEWS
At least 10 persons drowned and 7 more are missing after a rescue boat carrying at least 30 people capsized during a rescue operation near Brahmnal village in Maharashtra's Sangli district on Thursday morning, August 8, 2019.
Local police said rescue operations were underway after the boat capsized around 10:00 local time Thursday.
Most talukas in Sangli and Kolhapur districts are currently facing severe floods. Various rescue teams of local authorities, along with NDRF, Army and the Navy, are undertaking rescue operations and moving people to safer places.
At least 16 people died in the state during the first 7 days of the month and 138 between June 1 and July 31. By comparison, 57 people had lost their lives during the two monsoon months of 2018. A total of 279 people had died in natural calamities and disasters last year.
Nearly 250 000 people have been evacuated in flood-hit parts of the state since the start of the monsoon season. 342 bridges have gone underwater, 29 state highways and 56 roads have also been shut.
"All the dams in the region are overflowing and the Met department has predicted continuous rains for the next three to four days. So if the catchment areas of dams receive more rain, the possibility of more floods cannot be ruled out," Divisional Commissioner Deepak Mhaisekar said.
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