Video: Maharashtra family forced to wait on rooftop with loved one's body amid flood

A hapless family in Maharashtra’s Palghar district endured an unimaginable ordeal after torrential rain and flash flooding forced them to spend more than four hours on the roof of their house with the body of a deceased family member before she could finally be cremated.

The incident, which unfolded in Palghar’s Devipada village on July 6, has emerged as one of the most heart-rending stories from the recent spell of heavy rain that battered the region.

According to the family, 55-year-old Anusaya Manohar Lilka died while undergoing treatment at hospital. Her body was brought home by ambulance early Monday morning.

However, with the railway underpass submerged under floodwater, relatives were unable to take the vehicle all the way to their house and instead carried the body on their shoulders through the inundated area.

As funeral preparations began, the situation quickly spiralled into a life-threatening emergency. Floodwater started gushing into the house and rose rapidly within minutes.

The body, which had been placed on a cot, was at risk of being submerged as water surrounded the home from all sides.

Faced with the dual challenge of saving themselves and protecting the remains of their loved one, family members broke through the cement sheet covering part of the kitchen roof to reach higher ground.

Working together, they carefully lifted the body onto the rooftop and covered it with plastic sheets to shield it from the relentless rain.

For nearly four hours, around eight to ten family members, including a young girl, remained stranded on the roof beside the body.

As heavy rain continued to lash the area and floodwaters raged below, the family waited anxiously for the water level to recede, fearing that the current could sweep away everything.

A video of the incident captures the grim reality of the family's struggle. It shows relatives sitting huddled on the corrugated rooftop in pouring rain, with the body wrapped and covered in plastic nearby.

Floodwaters rose rapidly that had engulfed the surrounding area, underlining the scale of devastation that left the family with no safe escape.

Once the floodwater subsided after a span of over four hours, villagers helped bring the body down from the roof. Anusaya Manohar Lilka was then taken to the Devipada cremation ground, where her last rites were performed.

Beyond the destruction caused by the floods, the tragedy has drawn attention to the hardships endured by residents in low-lying areas and is likely to renew calls for improved flood management and emergency response infrastructure in the region.

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Inputs by Mohammad Husain