India begins landslide, flood clean-up as deadly monsoon rains ease Published On India's western coast was hit by severe rainstorms over several days. MUMBAI (AFP) - Rescuers waded through waist-deep mud in western India Monday to reach injured residents and start a massive clean-up after heavy monsoon rains triggered landslides and floods that killed 159 people. India’s western coast was hit by severe rainstorms over several days, with a quarter of a million people evacuated from their homes in three states and power cut across vast areas. Experts say climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of the annual deluge -- which is critical to replenishing rivers and groundwater but also causes widespread death and destruction.