Rains, landslides kill 55 this week

Even as incessant rain and related incidents across Maharashtra, Gujarat, Assam and West Bengal has led to the death of 40 people over the last week, 15 people died on Wednesday in Manipur and Uttarakhand, taking the toll up to 55. Among these states, Maharashtra and Assam have been the worst-hit, with rain pounding coastal Maharashtra and leading to flash floods in Assam.

On Wednesday morning, heavy rains triggered landslides in three places in Manipur's Tamenglong town, killing nine persons, including five minors and injuring seven others, officials said.

The bodies of two more children killed in the landslide are yet to be recovered, said Chief Minister N Biren Singh.

Separately, six people were killed in Uttarakhand as four members of one family were swept away by a landslide and two others drowned in a river swollen by heavy rain.

In Assam, Lakhimpur, Nagaon, Dhemaji and Biswanath districts were the worst affected due to floods affecting nearly 50,000 people.

West Bengal and Assam will get some respite with dry spells expected, but the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued orange coded 'alerts' for eastern Gujarat, Rajasthan and western Madhya Pradesh for Thursday along with a red coded 'warning' for eastern Rajasthan for Friday.