NEW DELHI, July 3 (Xinhua) -- At least two people were killed and over 20 others missing after a dam breached and triggered a flood-like situation in India's western state of Maharashtra, officials said on Wednesday.
According to officials, the heavy rains on Tuesday night led to a breach in the Tiware Dam in Ratnagiri district, about 275 km south of Mumbai, the capital city of Maharashtra.
"The heavy rainfall yesterday increased water level, following which a breach was caused in Tiware Dam, which triggered a flood-like situation in seven downstream villages," an official said. "We are being told 13 houses near the dam have been washed away. Two people were killed and 22 others are said to be missing."
The local administration and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams rushed to the spot to carry out relief and rescue operations.
Meanwhile, the death toll in Maharashtra has risen to 34 in the rain-related incident, state-run broadcaster All India Radio (AIR) said Wednesday. On Tuesday, 21 people were killed in a wall collapse triggered by floods in the city.
According to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Mumbai alone received an "unprecedented" 300 to 400 millimeters of rain in a 12-hour period yesterday. Heavy rainfall was also recorded in Thane, Palghar and Raigad districts, as well as Nashik, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg and western parts of the state.
"In the past 12 hours, the city has received an unprecedented 300 to 400 mm rain, the highest in the past decade. The existing drainage systems are unable to cope with such a heavy downpour, coupled with a high tide this afternoon," Fadnavis told media.
The meteorological department officials have predicted intermittent to heavy rains in Mumbai and its suburbs in the next 24 hours. The past five days of rain have affected road, rail and air traffic in Mumbai.
