Nearly 20 dead in rain-related incidents as monsoon covers India

Weather agency says annual rainfall had affected almost 80 per cent of the country by Monday

Street vendors sell vegetables amid flooding on Monday following heavy rains in Ahmedabad, India. Reuters

Indian officials reported nearly 20 deaths as a result of torrential rains and lightning as the annual monsoon advanced over most parts of the country.

At least nine people have died in the northern state of Punjab, where rains have triggered overflowing rivers, landslides and road accidents.

The heavy rains have caused losses of more than 1 billion rupees ($12.2 million) in Punjab, according to the state's disaster management authority, with at least 30 houses damaged or destroyed and as many as 300 heads of livestock killed.

At least six people were killed and 10 injured in neighbouring Himachal Pradesh after landslides and flash floods hit several parts of the state.

More than 200 people, including tourists, were stranded in the mountainous region following road damage caused by landslides and rains.

Four people were killed by lightning in the western state of Rajasthan on Monday, local officials said.

India's weather agency said on Monday that the annual monsoon had covered almost 80 per cent of the country.

The monsoon enters India's mainland from the southern state of Kerala around June 1 and then gradually moves north-west, covering the entire subcontinent over the following three months.

"Active monsoon conditions are likely to continue over east-central, north-west and west India over the next 4-5 days and the south-west monsoon is likely to advance further into some more parts of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab and the remaining parts of the Western Himalayan Region,” the India Meteorological Department said.

The monsoon accounts for about 75 per cent of India's annual rainfall and irrigates more than half of its farmland, making it crucial to the economy.

But the rains also wreak havoc across the country due to poor infrastructure and a lack of preparedness.

In Mumbai, India's financial capital in the western state of Maharashtra, heavy rains have caused waterlogging and prompted warnings of localised flooding.

At least two people were killed when heavy rain caused a wall to collapse.

In the north-eastern state of Assam, more than 270,000 people have been affected by incessant rains that have caused flooding in 11 districts, the Assam State Disaster Management Authority said.

The monsoon causes flooding in Assam every year and was responsible for at least 127 deaths last year.

In New Delhi, a 34-year-old woman was electrocuted on Sunday when she touched an electric pole while crossing a waterlogged road.