Representational image (flood)
Representational image (Source: Pixabay / Hermann) Pixabay / Hermann

KEY POINTS

  • New Delhi received 6 inches of rain Sunday, making it the wettest July day in the city in more than four decades
  • Himachal Pradesh, the worst-hit state, saw seven lives being claimed in the downpour
  • Heavy rainfall is expected to continue in states like Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh

At least 22 people have been killed in northern India as parts of the country saw heavy downpours and landslides.

The country's capital of New Delhi received 6 inches or 153 millimeters of rain Sunday, making it the wettest July day in the city in more than four decades, according to the India Meteorological Department.

The heavy monsoon rain, coupled with strong winds, led to widespread landslides and flash floods in the country, claiming the lives of seven people in the state of Himachal Pradesh and six in the state of Uttarakhand, according to the Times of India.

The downpour also led to four other individuals, including two soldiers, dying in Jammu and Kashmir, three dying in Uttar Pradesh and a boy drowning in Rajasthan.

Videos shared on social media captured shops and vehicles being swept away in parts of Himachal Pradesh, the worst-hit state in which seven districts were given a red alert. At least 14 landslides and 13 instances of flash floods were reported in the state over the weekend while 700 roads were shut due to damages.

Rescue efforts are underway, and about 27 people were rescued early Monday from a flooded hotel in the state's tourist district of Kullu.

Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, chief minister of Himachal Pradesh, urged residents Monday to stay indoors for the next 24 hours.

"I appeal to all to stay safe and stay inside their houses," he told a local news outlet. "Schools and colleges have also been closed as there is no way to travel."

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The Meteorological Department said "isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall" could be expected for the next five days starting Monday in the states of Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.

India, which typically sees its monsoon season stretch from June to September, has been receiving more rainfall than usual in different parts of the country.

The states of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh have, so far, respectively received 100% and 70% more rainfall than average this monsoon season since the beginning of June, officials said.

Delhi has so far received 112% more rainfall than the average.

India