Heavy rainfall over the past 24 hours has unleashed severe destruction across large parts of Maharashtra, leaving eight people dead and one individual unaccounted for. The downpour has battered Marathwada, Vidarbha and adjoining regions, disrupting normal life through flash floods, lightning strikes, and extensive crop losses. According to the State Disaster Control Room, lightning accounted for most of the deaths: four in Nagpur, one in Yavatmal, one in Nashik, and two in Nanded. Meanwhile, Beed district recorded two people drowning, with another missing, adding to the widespread human tragedy, reported Hindustan Times.
Flooding has struck villages in Deglur and Kandhar tehsils of Nanded district, forcing large-scale evacuations. Authorities, with the assistance of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), shifted nearly 1,500 residents to safer shelters. An official from the Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar divisional office stated that teams were dispatched to evacuate people and provide them with temporary accommodations. Rescue operations are still active as officials continue searching for stranded individuals and ensuring that relief reaches affected families on time, reported Hindustan Times.
In Gadchiroli district, SDRF teams successfully rescued a pregnant woman from Hinjewada village and admitted her to a hospital in Bhamragad. The continuous rains have also devastated livestock, with eight cattle killed in Jalna district and six more succumbing to lightning strikes in other regions. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert for Kolhapur, Satara, and Pune districts, forecasting heavy to very heavy rainfall over the next 24 hours. Several rivers have already crossed warning levels, submerging nearby agricultural lands and residential pockets, reported Hindustan Times.
The unrelenting downpour has brought fresh misery for farmers, as vast stretches of kharif crops have been washed away just ahead of the expected harvest. This devastation has heightened concerns for rural households, particularly in Marathwada and Vidarbha, where economic vulnerability is already high due to recurring droughts. Officials have said that relief efforts are being closely coordinated and that more evacuations will take place if water levels rise further. Several districts remain on alert, with rescue teams deployed in anticipation of worsening conditions, reported Hindustan Times.