Mumbai, India — At least three people died and 20 others are missing after a dam that flooded half a dozen villages in western India after the monsoon rains, authorities said Wednesday. The incident at Tiware Dam occurred Tuesday night due to the relentless rains and was taken ahead of a dozen homes, explained Datta Bhadakawad, a civil administrator in Ratnagiri district in Maharashtra state.
Rescue teams recaptured the bodies of three villagers and searched for the missing on Wednesday, he added.
According to Datta, preliminary research suggested that heavy rains raised the water level in the small dam, leading to the gap. The monsoon’s heavy rainfall caused at least 34 deaths in Maharashtra state since Monday night as a result of falling walls or drownings, among other reasons. Dozens more people were injured.
The city most affected was the country’s financial and entertainment capital, Mumbai, where at least 24 people lost their lives and 60 others were injured. Five days of rains suspended flights, flooded roads and flooded train tracks, although services were partly restored on Tuesday and resumed on Wednesday, taking advantage of a truce in rainfall. Monsoon season usually left heavy rains in the country between June and September, causing flooding and other damage. The collapse of buildings and walls is common as rainfall weakens the foundations of poorly constructed structures.
