NEW DELHI: At least 30 people are dead or missing after flash floods hit southern India, reports said on Saturday, with three buses washed away in one incident.

Rescue teams pulled out a dozen bodies after three buses were washed away in Andhra Pradesh state on Friday. At least 18 other people were still missing, media outlet The NewsMinute reported.

Analysts say unpredictable and extreme weather across South Asia is driven by climate change, exacerbated by damming, deforestation and excessive development.

Dozens have died since October in India after heavy rains triggered floods and landslides, and the country’s Met office said more heavy rains were expected in several southern areas on Saturday.

At least 42 people were killed last month when heavy rains pummelled Kerala, and on Friday authorities in the state halted entry to Sabarimala, one of Hinduism’s holiest shrines, due to heavy rains in the area.

Hundreds of devotees have been making the trek to Sabarimala since the shrine opened last week for the annual two-month-long pilgrimage season.

Rising water levels in the Pamba river, considered holy by the pilgrims, forced officials to stop devotees for a day, the Hindustan Times newspaper reported.Andhra Pradesh has been hit by intense torrents since Thursday, sparking massive floods in at least five districts.

Three people were killed when a building collapsed, police said. Ten people trapped under the debris were rescued but two are still missing.

Search and rescue efforts for missing passengers continued on Saturday.

Deaths from various districts have been reported over the past few days, with officials warning that the numbers could rise as rescue operations carry on. Teams of the National Disaster Relief Force have been deployed to worst-hit and vulnerable districts, and local authorities have rescued and evacuated hundreds of families to shelter homes.

In Kadapa district, one of the worst-hit, incessant rains and floods forced officials to close down the local airport until Thursday. Officials said breaches in dams and tanks have caused further flooding, leaving hundreds of villages marooned and many residents stuck in their homes.

Rains in southern India at this time are not unusual, although the country has seen a prolonged monsoon this year with experts warning that climate change has exacerbated the problem by making downpours more intense and frequent.

Last week, neighboring Tamil Nadu state was struck by floods while at least 28 people in southern Kerala state died as heavy rains triggered landslides last month.

Published in Dawn, November 21st, 2021