OF THE
TIMES
At least 31 people were killed in floods and heavy rain in India's southern state of Tamil Nadu this week, a top federal minister said on Friday, as rescuers struggled to reach scores still stranded in high waters.
Heavy rains have paralyzed several districts of the state, inundating entire neighborhoods, roads and railway tracks, days after a cyclone hit India's south-eastern coast, causing widespread damage.
"The (toll) number could change," federal Finance Minister Nirmala Sithraman told reporters, adding that more than 40,000 people have been rescued so far and efforts are underway to reach those still stranded.
The state is one of the major electronics and manufacturing hubs in India. Some southern neighborhoods remained waterlogged on Friday.
"We're struggling to get tractors and boats with food and essentials through water in the worst-affected areas," said M. Balamurugan, who along with other volunteers have been distributing foods and essentials.
Tamil Nadu recorded over 64 mm of rainfall this week, more than triple the 20 mm that would be normal at this time of year, the weather department said, predicting more rainfall in parts of the state over the next five days.
For some the floods are reminiscent of rains eight years ago in state capital Chennai that killed 290 people and inundated large swathes of the city.
A 70-year-old woman, who was injured after being attacked by a pet Pitbull dog in Roorkee a week ago, died during treatment at AIIMS, Rishikesh.
On getting information about the elderly woman's death, Roorkee police reached the hospital and sent the body for post-mortem. They are now seeking legal opinion for further action.On December 8, Kela Devi (70), a resident of Dhandera village of Roorkee Civil Line in Kotwali area, was going to her acquaintance's house in the post office street when a Pitbull dog attacked her. When she raised an alarm, passersby somehow rescued her from the dog. She was seriously injured with severe wounds on many parts of her body.
The woman was admitted to Roorkee Civil Hospital, where she was given first-aid. Seeing her serious condition, doctors referred her to AIIMS Rishikesh. She was on a ventilator in AIIMS and was undergoing treatment. It was learnt that her jugular vein had been damaged when the dog had attacked her and she could not recover. Finally, she succumbed to her injuries.
Comment: On the same day 2 teenagers were hit and killed by a strike in Zambia.