Floods damage homes, crops in western Maharashtra; 28 dead so far

PUNE: Over 2,300 houses and large-scale crops were damaged in heavy rains and subsequent floods in Western Maharashtra districts, where more than 21,000 people were moved to safer places, said officials on Friday.

According to the divisional commissioner's office here, the death toll in rain-related incidents rose to 28 in the region - half of them in worst-hit Solapur district - with the recovery of one more body.

Crops such as sugarcane, soyabean, vegetables, rice, pomegranate and cotton, spread over 57,000 hectares in Pune, Solapur, Satara and Sangli districts, have suffered damage, it said.

Around 513 livestock perished in heavy rains and floods in the region, said a senior official from the Pune divisional commissioner's office.

He said a total of 2,319 houses were damaged in the downpour and the subsequent floods in Solapur, Sangli, Satara and Pune districts.

"A total of 28 people have died so far in rain-related incidents. Of these, 14 people died in Solapur, 9 in Sangli, 4 in Pune and 1 in Satara," said the officer.

One person is still missing in Pune, he added.

As many as 21,292 people from 6,061 households in Solapur (17,000), Sangli (1,079), Pune (3,000) and Satara (213) districts were shifted to safer places, the officer added.