News Desk :
In India and China, torrential rains have killed at least 438 people. At least 30 others have died in Pakistan.
This time of year marks the monsoon and typhoon season in Asia, and climate change has intensified such storms. Heavy rains have triggered landslides and flooding, devastating crops, destroying homes, and taking lives.
Historical data shows that China is experiencing more extremely hot days and more frequent intense rains, according to a report released last month by the China Meteorological Administration, which forecasts an increase in both over the next 30 years.
Governments have launched disaster prevention plans to try to mitigate the damage. Rescue teams are scrambling to evacuate people ahead of approaching storms and delivering relief goods by helicopter to cut-off areas.
In Kerala’s Wayanad district, the death toll from the recent landslides has risen to 358 as of Saturday, according to the state government.
Rescue teams, including the Indian Army, Kerala Police, and emergency services, are urgently searching for survivors using advanced deep search radars.
The rescue efforts, now in their fifth day, have been bolstered by private search and rescue specialists and volunteers. Despite their efforts, over 200 people remain unaccounted for.
Meanwhile, at least 32 people have died in rain-related incidents across seven states since Wednesday, as monsoon mayhem continued to wreak havoc. Lightning strikes have caused the deaths of five people across two districts in Bihar.
At least 14 people have been confirmed dead, and many others are missing following devastating cloudbursts in India’s Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
Typhoon Gaemi was blamed for more than 30 deaths in the Philippines and 10 in Taiwan as it churned through the western Pacific last week. Despite weakening to a tropical storm, it remained fatal in China.
Rain drenched parts of inland Hunan province for several days. On Sunday morning, a mudslide slammed into a homestay house in a popular weekend spot, killing 15 people.
Elsewhere in Hunan, the bodies of three people were found on Monday, believed to be victims of another landslide. Authorities in nearby Zixing city announced on Thursday that 30 people had died in floods, with 35 others missing.