SAWT BEIRUT INTERNATIONAL

| 28 March 2024, Thursday |

Heavy rains in India, Sri Lanka kill 41, authorities say

Authorities said on Thursday that heavy rains in southern India and Sri Lanka had killed at least 41 people, with weather forecasters expecting the downpours to ease in the coming days as affected communities pumped out the deluge.

The Indian Meteorological Department predicts light to moderate rain in most affected areas, with some roads and low-lying areas experiencing flooding.

Rain in neighboring Sri Lanka is expected to ease beginning Thursday as the low pressure system that brought the bad weather moves away.

“The worst is over, and there will be some rain,” said Pradeep John, an amateur forecaster who is well-known in Tamil Nadu, India’s worst-affected state.

“Rain will fall on and off today, with large breaks and nothing to worry about.”

Rains killed 25 people in Sri Lanka, the majority of whom drowned, and landslides injured five, according to officials.

According to state disaster management minister KKSSR Ramachandran, sixteen people were killed in Tamil Nadu.

Many parts of the state capital of Chennai, India’s auto manufacturing hub, were flooded, and government officials used pumps to drain some communities that had become stranded waist deep.

Thousands of people in low-lying areas were evacuated, according to officials.

Many Tamil Nadu schools and colleges remained closed, and some train services remained suspended.

The northeast monsoon in India typically lasts from October to December, bringing heavy rain, particularly to the south.

    Source:
  • Reuters