Non-stop rains devastate UP, Bihar, Maharashtra, leaving over 130 dead

Rains continue to wreak havoc in parts of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Jammu and Kashmir, claiming the lives of more than 130 people and throwing normal life out of gear. Durga Puja celebrations in West Bengal too have been affected by the deluge.

Expressing his condolenses to the families of those who lost lives in rain-related accidents in Bihar, he urged his party workers in the state to join the relief and rescue work.

#BiharFlood से हालात बेकाबू हो गए हैं और कई लोगों की मौत के समाचार हैं।

जान गंवाने वाले लोगों के परिजनों के प्रति अपनी संवेदना व्यक्त करता हूं और कांग्रेस कार्यकर्ताओं से अपील करता हूं कि वे प्रभावित लोगों के राहत और बचाव कार्य में तत्काल जुट जाएं।https://t.co/fENamcnzsR

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) September 30, 2019

Uttar Pradesh:

In Uttar Pradesh, 110 people have died in various rain-related incidents that mainly comprised wall collapses, house collapses, and snakebites. Two people were even struck by lightning in Banda, while another two got killed when a tree fell on them.

Nearly 850 prisoners from Uttar Pradesh’s Ballia District Jail have been shifted to jails in the neighbouring districts following heavy water-logging inside the barracks after incessant rains since Wednesday.

On Saturday, four persons died in a house collapse in Mirzapur and an equal number of people were killed when a wall fell on them in Azamgarh due to heavy rain. The others died in similar incidents across the state.

Meanwhile, train services on the Ballia-Chhapra section of the North Eastern Railway (NER) were disrupted due to heavy rains on Sunday. Mahesh Gupta, Public Relations Officer of NER said that a number of trains on this section has been cancelled.

Bihar:

ANI has reported that incessant rainfall in Bihar killed 29 people after buildings collapsed and trees fell on them in Patna, Bhagalpur and Kaimur districts.

The Patna district administration has ordered that all schools remain shut till Tuesday (October 1). Rail traffic and healthcare facilities have been affected.

The residence of Janata Dal United leader Ajay Alok has been flooded. East Central Railway officials said that rail traffic was suspended on the Darbhanga-Samastipur section in the morning as tracks at some places got inundated due to heavy rain, leaving at least three trains stranded.

#WATCH People move to safer places on JCB machines and tractors in Kankarbagh area of Patna. #BiharFloods pic.twitter.com/oyDZCElvC0

— ANI (@ANI) September 30, 2019

The district magistrate said that a contingent of NDRF and SDRF personnel was pressed into service to rescue residents from the areas alarmingly waterlogged.

36 boats and 75 tractors are being used in rescue operations. 26,000 people have been rescued so far

“The situation is unprecedented, it’s almost like a cloud burst. Impact is mainly due to water logging. Out of 19 NDRF teams deployed, 5 are in Patna. We’ve evacuated about 4,000 citizens since morning,” SN Pradhan, DG of National Disaster Response Force was quoted as saying by news agency ANI

Maharashtra:

The death toll in the floods that ravaged parts of Pune district on Thursday (September 26) rose to 22, with five persons still missing, an official said on Saturday (September 28) evening.

Pune and several low-lying areas nearby had been flooded after witnessing heavy rainfall between Wednesday (September 25) and Thursday (September 26). Authorities had to shift over 3,000 people to safer areas.

Also read:12 dead and 14,000 rescued after heavy rains flood Pune

Officials said that 16 of the deaths took place in Pune city while six persons were killed in flood-related mishaps in the district’s rural areas. Five persons are missing in the district, they added.

District Collector Naval Kishor Ram said that cheques from the relief fund were handed over to flood-affected persons in Tangewala colony.

Rajasthan:

In the desert state of Rajasthan, three students were killed when a wall of a government school collapsed after excessive rainfall in Udaipur district, police said.

The incident occurred early morning in Government Middle School, Thobwara. The school, which is situated on the foothills, was waterlogged due to excessive rainfall on Friday night, the police said.

Twelve school children had a narrow escape after the truck they were travelling in veered off a flooded road in Dungarpur, Rajasthan.

Madhya Pradesh:

Meanwhile, three persons, including a police constable, were swept away in the strong currents of a swollen nullah in Seoni district of Madhya Pradesh, police said.

The incident occurred on Ghansor-Kedarpur Road on Friday night. The three bodies were recovered about a kilometre away from the place of the incident.

Uttarakhand:

In Uttarakhand, six pilgrims from Punjab, who were on their way to the Himalayan shrine of Hemkund Sahib, were killed when a huge rock fell on their vehicle in Tehri district following a landslip triggered by heavy rains, officials said.

West Bengal:

Organisers of Durga Puja are worried due to continuous rainfall in Siliguri and Kolkata districts. Mahalaya, which marks the beginning of Durga Puja celebrations in West Bengal, was marred by rains in different parts of the state.

The weatherman has predicted rains in Kolkata at least until Monday (September 30).

Jammu and Kashmir:

In Samba district of Jammu and Kashmir, a 22-year-old woman was killed after she was struck by lightning. Heavy rains lashed wide parts of the Jammu province, causing waterlogging and traffic jams at many places in the city and disrupting normal life.

(With inputs from agencies)