From Himalayas to plains, relentless rains trigger floods, landslides: More than 50 dead

India's monsoon turned lethal this week, with floods, cloudbursts and landslides battering states from the northeast to the Himalayas and down into the plains. The incidents have claimed more than 50 lives across the country, while leaving many more injured. A large number of people were still missing. Besides, rescue work after an under-construction tunnel crumbled in Sikkim, killing 20 workers, was also impeded by the elements.

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In the northeast, Assam is reeling under its worst flooding of the season, while Sikkim is still pulling bodies out of the collapsed hydropower tunnel. The Union Territories (UTs) of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh were also affected, with the former shutting its lifeline highway after landslides. States such as Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Rajasthan are all facing swollen rivers, blocked roads and washed-away homes.

Taken together, the toll from these overlapping disasters has crossed 70 deaths, with dozens more injured or still missing, even as authorities scramble to reach cut-off villages and pilgrimage routes remain suspended.

Assam: Death toll touches 31

Assam is bearing the brunt of the season's flooding. Twenty-one more deaths were recorded in a single 24-hour period between Tuesday (July 21) and Wednesday (July 22), pushing the state's flood death toll for the year to 31. Thirteen people, including four women and two children, drowned in Sivasagar district alone — the worst-hit area, where nearly 3.6 lakh people have been affected. Jorhat and Charaideo followed, with roughly 88,000 and 72,500 people, respectively, caught in the deluge. In total, close to 5.65 lakh people across a dozen districts, including Dhemaji, Dibrugarh, Kamrup and Tinsukia, are affected.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma toured the worst-hit Upper Assam districts, announced Rs 4 lakh in compensation for each bereaved family, and acknowledged that many submerged villages remain completely cut off, with no roads or communication links and no way to airdrop supplies. The state has set up 273 relief camps housing over 12,000 displaced people, while the Army, NDRF, SDRF and police have rescued more than 6,000 people.

The Brahmaputra River and several tributaries are flowing above danger levels, 872 villages remain underwater, over 24,000 hectares of cropland has been damaged, and nearly 1.85 lakh livestock and poultry have been affected. The IMD has issued a yellow alert with more rain expected over the next four days.

Jammu & Kashmir: 23 dead, 7 missing; key highway hit

Relentless rain for a fourth straight day has battered the Jammu region, forcing authorities to suspend traffic on the strategic 250-km Jammu-Srinagar national highway — the only all-weather link between Kashmir and the rest of the country — after landslides, mudslides and shooting stones hit nearly a dozen points between Udhampur and Banihal.

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At least 23 people have died, and seven remain missing in flash floods and landslides across Poonch, Rajouri and Doda districts since Sunday (July 19). Kathua recorded the highest rainfall at 153 mm, followed by Samba and Udhampur. All major pilgrimages, including the Amarnath and Vaishno Devi yatras, have been suspended since Sunday. Rescue teams from the civil administration, SDRF, NDRF and police are working round the clock, and state ministers visited relief centres in Rajouri to review conditions for displaced families.

Officials have advised people to stay indoors, avoid rivers, streams and landslide-prone zones, and follow administration advisories as bad weather persists. The government said restoring essential services and delivering relief to affected families remains its top priority. Separately, J&K Jal Shakti Minister Javed Ahmed Rana and Youth Services and Sports Minister Satish Sharma visited Rajouri to review the flood situation and relief measures.

Himachal: Cloudburst damages 18 houses, 3 injured

A cloudburst in the Boh Valley of Kangra district triggered flash floods and debris flows, damaging 12 more houses overnight and bringing the total to 18, with three people injured. Nine cowsheds were destroyed and several livestock killed. The Shimla Meteorological Centre has issued an orange alert for Kangra and Mandi and a yellow alert for several other districts, warning of flash flood risk continuing through Wednesday. Mashobra in Shimla recorded the heaviest rainfall in the state at over 117 mm, and officials say the wet spell is likely to persist until July 27.

Ladakh, Uttarakhand, UP, Bengal and Rajasthan

In UT Ladakh's Kargil district, flash floods have caused extensive damage to homes, farmland, livestock and infrastructure across multiple villages; local MP Mohammad Haneefa has pledged support through MPLADS funds and urged priority restoration of roads, water and power.

In Uttarakhand, a landslide near Gaurikund halted movement on the Kedarnath pilgrimage trek, with authorities holding pilgrims at safe points while clearance work continues. Uttar Pradesh has seen waterlogging in Prayagraj and rising river levels in Bareilly and Gonda, prompting flood posts and relief camps. The India Meteorological Department said various parts of the state witnessed rainfall and predicted widespread thundershowers across it over the next few days, along with heavy rains.

Also read: Rain fury batters North East, Himachal, Jammu; death toll rises

West Bengal's coastal and northern districts are bracing for more heavy rain through late July, with state capital Kolkata expecting thunderstorms and gusty winds.

Rajasthan's eastern belt has recorded very heavy rainfall, with more expected through July 26. Chhipa Barod in the state’s Baran district saw the highest rainfall at 14 cm. Light to moderate rains were recorded at some places in western Rajasthan.

20 dead in Sikkim tunnel collapse

In one harrowing incident amid the weather threats, an under-construction NHPC Teesta Stage VI hydropower project tunnel in Sikkim's Namchi district collapsed on Monday (July 20) after a suspected methane gas explosion, killing at least 20 workers, many of whom were migrants from the neighbouring Bengal.

Rescue efforts were temporarily halted due to mud and water accumulation inside the tunnel but resumed on Wednesday, with the NDRF and a rescue team from Asansol in Bengal working to pump out water.

Twelve bodies have been retrieved so far; recovery of the rest will resume once the tunnel is drained and declared safe, officials said. Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang announced Rs 4 lakh for each deceased worker's family and Rs 50,000 for the injured, while the Prime Minister separately announced Rs 2 lakh and Rs 50,000 respectively.

How the weather prediction looks

Active monsoon conditions are likely over central and adjoining north peninsular India, along with east and northeast India, over the next three to four days. Isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall, with extremely heavy falls at a few places, is expected over Gujarat and central Maharashtra on Wednesday (July 22). Meanwhile, south Peninsular India is likely to see subdued rainfall activity persisting through the next seven days.

(With agency inputs)