India Flood kills 26, 200,000 Evacuated

India Flood kills 26, 200,000 Evacuated

India Flood - Massive flooding in the eastern part of India in the state of Orissa has killed at least 26 and 200,000 were dislodged from their homes and have to be evacuated, an Indian minister said Thursday. Torrential monsoon rains have triggered the floods across the state of Orissa where river banks have overflowed. A huge emergency rescue operation was prompted including helicopters dropping off supplies to assist stranded people.

Surya Narayan Patra, Disaster Mgmt. Minister in Orissa State, has confirmed the 26 deaths including 12 other people still missing.  Currently, 193,000 people were already rescued and are relatively safe. The minister feared that the death toll will likely increase if the extent of the widespread damage is to be considered.

The state has a total of 40 million inhabitants and an estimated of 2.1 million people were already affected by the massive flooding: their homes or their crops submerged in water. The massive flooding has caused thousands of people to be stranded along the highways and some residents were forced to stay in their house’s rooftops. The massive flooding is not new to the state of Orissa as the coastal state has been annually hit by tidal surges and cyclones. 19 out of Orissa’s 30 impoverished districts are greatly affected by the flooding, Patra said.

Posted by George Daniels on Friday September 16 2011, 8:25 AM EST. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, World. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0