Expressing his concern over the tragic loss of lives and the dislocation of so many people in several districts of the state of Maharashtra, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis tweeted on Thursday that his government is monitoring the situation closely.
He said he has ordered the state’s disaster management authority to provide all possible assistance to the affected families.
Three National Disaster Response Force teams have been initially deployed in the Pune and Baramati districts of the state for rescue and relief operations, he revealed.
According to media reports, at least eleven people have died as a result of the rains. Five people, including a nine-year-old boy, were killed after a wall collapsed on them on Wednesday night in the Arneshwar area of Pune district. Fire service officials said heavy showers and surging waters had caused the wall to collapse. A sixth person was found dead near a school in an inundated area, while the body of a seventh person was found in a car that had been washed away by floodwaters, television news channel NDTV reported.
So far, more than 500 people have been moved from several flood-affected areas to safety following the heavy downpour, a fire service officer told the news channel.
Netizens criticised the state government, the meteorological department and other concerned authorities for failing to predict the change in weather in time.
Though there was no rain on Thursday morning, several houses and residential societies in low-lying areas of the city of Pune remain inundated.
All educational institutions, including schools and colleges, in Pune district have been closed as a precautionary measure, news agency ANI reported.
Pune District Collector Naval Kishore Ram said a holiday for all schools and colleges has been declared following heavy rains in the region.