Video Editor: Naman Shah
Severe flooding, triggered by incessant torrential rains in the past twenty-four hours have left at least 5,000 people stranded in Chiplun in Maharashtra's Ratnagiri district. The city has been cut off from the adjoining areas and a red alert has been issued.
River Vashishti, considered to be the lifeline of the city, has been flowing above the danger mark, making the situation worse. The water levels rose to around ten feet.
Terrifying viral videos on social media show buses submerged till roofs and several marketplaces, multiplexes, residential and commercial buildings are under water. Electricity and communication lines have been snapped in most parts of the city. Roads and bridges in and around Chiplun are completely flooded, making it difficult to reach out to the residents.
'Worse Than the Mega Floods of 2005'
The Maharashtra government has rushed two teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and rescue boats to Chiplun for rescue and relief operations. However, Minister for Relief and Rehabilitation, Vijay Wadettiwar, said that the teams were stuck due to heavy flooding in the area.
Due to heavy rains Chiplun city in Ratangiri district has been affected badly. We have deployed two teams of NDRF to Chiplun. Rescue operation has already started. We are shifting people to safer place. We have asked help from the Coast Guard.Vijay Wadettivar, Minister for relief and Rehabilitation, Maharashtra
Many are claiming that the severe flooding in Chiplun is worse than the mega floods in 2005. Chiplun is the business and industrial hub of the South Konkan belt of Maharashtra.
Two people have reportedly died in a landslide in Parshuram Ghat in the Konkan reagion. Traffic on Mumbai-Goa Highway is also badly affected. Trains are not running beyond the Chiplun station.
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