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India's Monsoon Floods Kill at Least 22 People

Women commute in cycle rickshaws through a flooded street after heavy rains in Guwahati, in India's Assam state on May 31, 2025. (Photo by Biju BORO / AFP)
Women commute in cycle rickshaws through a flooded street after heavy rains in Guwahati, in India's Assam state on May 31, 2025. (Photo by Biju BORO / AFP)
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India's Monsoon Floods Kill at Least 22 People

Women commute in cycle rickshaws through a flooded street after heavy rains in Guwahati, in India's Assam state on May 31, 2025. (Photo by Biju BORO / AFP)
Women commute in cycle rickshaws through a flooded street after heavy rains in Guwahati, in India's Assam state on May 31, 2025. (Photo by Biju BORO / AFP)

Landslides and flash flooding triggered by days of torrential monsoon rains in India’s northeast have killed at least 22 people, officials said Saturday.

Five people, including three from a single family, were killed on Saturday when their homes were buried in a mudslide in Assam state's Guwahati city, an official flood bulletin said. In neighboring Arunachal Pradesh state, which borders China, seven people were killed on Friday when their vehicle was swept away by floodwaters. Two others drowned in a separate incident in the state, The Associated Press reported.

Eight people were killed in the states of Mizoram, Tripura and Meghalaya in the last 24 hours due to floods and mudslides brought on by the rains, according to official figures.

Meanwhile in Assam, authorities disconnected the electricity in several areas to reduce the risk of electrocution, state Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said. Heavy rains also led to flooding in many urban areas of Assam’s capital city of Guwahati, leading to long power outages Friday night and prompting authorities to shut schools and colleges on Saturday.

India’s weather agency has forecast more heavy rains in the region in the coming days.

India’s annual June-September monsoon season offers respite from intense summer heat. But the rains that are crucial for crops planted during the season often cause extensive damage, particularly in the northeast, which is considered one of the most vulnerable regions to climate change.

Scientists say monsoons are becoming more erratic because of extreme weather and global warming, leading to frequent landslides and flash floods in India’s Himalayan north.

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Firefighters Race to Contain Wildfires in Greece as Thousands Evacuated, 2 Die in Türkiye

Firefighters stand next to rising flames as a wildfire burns near Ierapetra, on the island of Crete, Greece, July 3, 2025. REUTERS/Stefanos Rapanis
Firefighters stand next to rising flames as a wildfire burns near Ierapetra, on the island of Crete, Greece, July 3, 2025. REUTERS/Stefanos Rapanis
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Firefighters Race to Contain Wildfires in Greece as Thousands Evacuated, 2 Die in Türkiye

Firefighters stand next to rising flames as a wildfire burns near Ierapetra, on the island of Crete, Greece, July 3, 2025. REUTERS/Stefanos Rapanis
Firefighters stand next to rising flames as a wildfire burns near Ierapetra, on the island of Crete, Greece, July 3, 2025. REUTERS/Stefanos Rapanis

Firefighters battled blazes Thursday near Athens and on the island of Crete, where thousands were forced to flee holiday resorts, while blazes in neighboring Türkiye claimed at least two lives.

More than 5,000 tourists, hotel workers and residents were evacuated from the Ierapetra area along Crete’s southern coast, authorities and hotel association officials said. A small number of people fled into the sea and were rescued by local fishermen and divers, The Associated Press reported.

Ierapetra Mayor Manolis Frangoulis said firefighters working to prevent flare-ups and take advantage of a lull in high winds. “Thankfully no one was hurt but it's a difficult situation," he said.

Displaced tourists were relocated to other hotels or spent the night in an indoor basketball stadium. Several homes and businesses were damaged. Volunteers found dead farm animals, some burned alive while chained inside sheds.

Separately, a wildfire near the port of Rafina, about 30 kilometers (20 miles) east of Athens disrupted local ferry services to the islands. Police went door-to-door to assist elderly residents while carrying out an evacuation order. In western Türkiye, a local forestry worker was killed while trying to contain the fire near the town of Odemis, and an 81-year-old resident died from smoke inhalation, authorities said. It marked the first fatalities in a series of wildfires that have forced thousands to flee.

Meanwhile, hundreds of firefighters, supported by aircraft and helicopters, were deployed to battle a wildfire near the Aegean coastal town of Cesme, a popular vacation destination about 190 kilometers (120 miles) west of Odemis.

That fire, which began Wednesday, forced the evacuation of three neighborhoods and led to road closures. Television footage showed flames racing through dry vegetation on both sides of a highway.

Over the past week, Türkiye has battled hundreds of wildfires fueled by strong winds, extreme heat and low humidity. Now mostly under control, the blazes have damaged or destroyed about 200 homes.

Summer wildfires are common in both Greece and Türkiye, where experts warn that climate change is intensifying conditions.

Late Wednesday, Türkiye’s parliament adopted a landmark climate law targeting net-zero emissions by 2053. The legislation includes measures to establish a carbon market board to oversee efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The law comes at a time when Türkiye is increasingly grappling with issues related to climate change, from searing heatwaves to prolonged droughts, experts say.

“As a Mediterranean country, Türkiye is highly vulnerable to climate change,” said Gizem Koc, a lawyer with the UK-based environmental advocacy group ClientEarth.

“The most striking vulnerability is the drought and water stress in some regions, but also there is increasing frequency of floods and other extreme weather events.”