9 killed in landslides, floods toll rises to 173

New Delhi : Heavy showers lashed Uttarakhand and Jammu leaving nine people dead in landslides, while rescue and relief operations continued in Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Gujarat on Monday with the death toll climbing to 173 in the four flood-hit states.

Rains subsided in many parts of the flood-hit states where over 12 lakh people have been affected and the water level has started receding in the deluge-ravaged areas, officials said.

The death toll in Kerala increased to 76 on Monday, while in Karnataka, Gujarat and Maharashtra 97 people have lost their lives so far due to the monsoon fury, as per official data.

Nearly 125 people stranded on a road washed away by floods in Gujarat's Kutch district were rescued by the Indian Air Force (IAF), while in Karnataka and Maharashtra works were started to repair roads damaged by landslides and heavy rains.

In the hill state of Uttarakhand, which is being lashed by heavy rains, six persons, including a woman and her nine-month-old daughter, were buried alive in landslides in three different villages in Chamoli district.

Erosion caused by swirling waters of the flooded Chuflagad River also washed away two buildings on its banks.

In Jammu and Kashmir, three members of a family died after they came under a boulder during a landslide in Resai district.

Two others were also injured in the incident that took place on Sunday evening in Laar village in the district's Mahore belt.