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At Least 11 Dead after Heavy Rain in Northern India, Hundreds Missing

Rescuers use machinery to sift through debris on their second day of mission following Tuesday’s landslides at Chooralmala, Wayanad district, Kerala state, India, Wednesday, July 31, 2024. (AP)
Rescuers use machinery to sift through debris on their second day of mission following Tuesday’s landslides at Chooralmala, Wayanad district, Kerala state, India, Wednesday, July 31, 2024. (AP)
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At Least 11 Dead after Heavy Rain in Northern India, Hundreds Missing

Rescuers use machinery to sift through debris on their second day of mission following Tuesday’s landslides at Chooralmala, Wayanad district, Kerala state, India, Wednesday, July 31, 2024. (AP)
Rescuers use machinery to sift through debris on their second day of mission following Tuesday’s landslides at Chooralmala, Wayanad district, Kerala state, India, Wednesday, July 31, 2024. (AP)

At least 11 people died after heavy rain lashed various parts of northern India on Thursday and more than 250 people were missing after downpours in the Himalayas, including pilgrims stranded on a famous pilgrimage route.
State-run India Meteorological Department (IMD) recorded 183 mm (seven inches) of rain in the past 24 hours in the famous tourist destination of Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh state, Reuters said.
More than 50 people were missing after heavy rain over state capital Shimla and surrounding regions, chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said in a post on X, adding that rescue operations were ongoing.
Two people died after a barrage in a power project was breached, obstructing connectivity in the region, state revenue minister Jagat Singh Negi told news agency ANI.
Indian Express newspaper reported that four people were killed after a cloudburst in Uttarakhand state and 200 pilgrims were stranded after rain washed away a part of their walking path.
Torrential rains, which, along with unabated construction have frequently triggered deadly flash floods and landslides in the mountains of India and neighboring Pakistan and Nepal over the past few years, have been attributed to climate change.
WATERLOGGING IN NATIONAL CAPITAL
Residents were caught unawares by a sudden bout of intense rain in Delhi on Wednesday evening, with a total 147 mm (5.8 inches) recorded in eastern parts of Delhi and its suburbs by IMD.
At least five people died, according to local media.
Visuals from ANI news agency, in which Reuters has a minority stake, showed flooding at the site in a northern part of the city where three students drowned in a flooded basement last week.
Residents of the capital have experienced a series of extreme weather events in the past few months, from sizzling temperatures to floods and heavy rainfall that caused a roof collapse at the city's airport.

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Conflicting Reports on Haniyeh’s Killing Location, Iran Vows Revenge

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh embraces IRGC Chief Hossein Salami at the Iranian parliament (Reuters)
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh embraces IRGC Chief Hossein Salami at the Iranian parliament (Reuters)
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Conflicting Reports on Haniyeh’s Killing Location, Iran Vows Revenge

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh embraces IRGC Chief Hossein Salami at the Iranian parliament (Reuters)
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh embraces IRGC Chief Hossein Salami at the Iranian parliament (Reuters)

The official Iranian response remains tight-lipped following the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. Conflicting reports have emerged about the location of the attack, while Iranian officials have accused Israel of the killing and vowed revenge.
Haniyeh was in Tehran for the swearing-in of Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian, amid tight security and the presence of officials from around 80 countries.
Initial reports from Iranian websites claimed that Haniyeh was killed near the Saadabad Palace by an Israeli drone. Other sources, however, stated that the attack happened in western Tehran.
The “Sabreen News” channel, linked to Iran’s Quds Force, the foreign arm of the Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), first reported the killing at 1:45 a.m. Iranian authorities have not released any photos of the scene.
Simultaneously, reports on the social media platform X mentioned a large blast in western Tehran, an area known for housing IRGC-linked residential sites.
Israeli Channel 12 suggested that the missile that killed Haniyeh was fired from within Iran, not by a drone as some reports had claimed.
Haniyeh and his bodyguard were killed in a guesthouse belonging to the IRGC in northern Tehran’s Chitgar neighborhood. The report noted that Islamic Jihad leader Ziad al-Nakhala, who was in another part of the building, was not targeted.
Khalil al-Hayya, Hamas’s deputy leader, confirmed at a Tehran press conference that witnesses saw a missile hit the room where Haniyeh was staying. He said they are awaiting a full investigation and noted the explosion caused significant damage.
Al-Hayya also stated that discussions of a ceasefire with Israel are now irrelevant following the assassination.
He emphasized that while neither Iran nor Hamas seeks a regional war, the killing must be avenged, leaving resistance as the only option.
The IRGC confirmed that Haniyeh and one of his bodyguards were killed when their residence in Tehran was targeted. The statement provided few details.
Later, the Tasnim and Fars news agencies, both affiliated with the IRGC, reported that Haniyeh was killed at 2 a.m. by an aerial projectile.
According to the agencies, Haniyeh was staying at a veterans’ facility in northern Tehran.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said an investigation is underway into the assassination. He claimed the killing would strengthen Iran’s ties with the Palestinian cause.
The IRGC warned that Haniyeh’s death would prompt a “severe and painful” response. They pledged that Iran and its regional allies would retaliate against those responsible.
Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said Iran must retaliate for the killing of Haniyeh because it happened on Iranian soil. He warned that Israel’s actions have set the stage for severe consequences.
President Pezeshkian also blamed Israel for the killing and promised that Iran would make Israel regret it.
Reuters reported that Iran’s Supreme National Security Council held an urgent meeting early Wednesday with senior IRGC leaders to address the assassination of Haniyeh.
Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Iran and the resistance would ensure Haniyeh’s death would not go unpunished.
Moreover, Iranian lawmakers suggested infiltrators might have leaked Haniyeh’s location and urged officials to address this issue seriously. They called for a full investigation and warned that Iran would respond to the attack, whether directly or indirectly.