Monsoon Death Toll in India Passes 850; Hundreds Protest

Hundreds of angry demonstrators blocked traffic for hours Saturday to demand restoration of drinking water and electricity and clearing of rotting animal carcasses after last week’s monsoon rains in western India.

More than 100 additional bodies were found in collapsed homes Saturday, bringing the official death toll from the devastating floods in Bombay and the surrounding area in Maharashtra state to 853. Officials fear more bodies are buried in remote areas, and the latest toll could increase by 100 to 150, said Chief Secretary Prem Kumar, the state’s top bureaucrat.

Newspapers warned of the threat of waterborne diseases, and hospitals and health centers geared up to distribute free medicines.

Rain began intermittently hitting Bombay and outlying areas again Saturday, though with far less force than earlier in the week.

Despite the rain, hundreds of residents in five Bombay districts raised anti-government slogans and blocked traffic for more than five hours to demand an immediate cleanup of the city.

“For so many days we have been lifting the bodies of the dead, and now we are clearing animals from the roads. Is this our work?” asked a furious Hafeez Irani, his face covered with a handkerchief against the stench.

“The drains are choked. We still have no electricity,” said Irani, a construction worker.

Civic leaders pleaded for patience. They said equipment and workers to clear roads and drains were being called in from other areas hit by landslides.

Tuesday’s torrential rains, as much as 37 inches, cut off the state from the rest of the country.

In addition to people, the storm killed hundreds of livestock and cattle.