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Rediff.com  » News » Flash floods claim 26 in Gujarat, 4 in Rajasthan; rescue ops on

Flash floods claim 26 in Gujarat, 4 in Rajasthan; rescue ops on

Source: PTI
Last updated on: July 29, 2015 16:50 IST
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Flash floods triggered by incessant rains have claimed 26 lives in Gujarat in the past 48 hours while four lives have been lost in Rajasthan, authorities said on Wednesday.

Nearly 300 National Disaster Response Force personnel and three helicopters have been deployed for rescue and relief operations.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday spoke to Chief Minister Anandiben Patel to assess the flood situation.

Singh assured Patel full central assistance to tackle the situation.

"Seven NDRF teams (around 300 personnel) are already deployed for the rescue operations and four more teams from Pune have been rushed.

"Two helicopters from Indian Air Force and one from Border Security Force are being deployed," an official statement said.

The Centre is monitoring the flood situation in Gujarat and other flood-affected areas in the country.

The Centre is providing all assistance to the Gujarat government. NDRF teams are active on the ground rescuing people in flood-affected areas, the statement said.

Meanwhile, four persons were killed in rains-related incidents in Jalore district in Rajasthan during the past 24-hours even as flood-like situation continued for the third day on Wednesday in parts of Sirohi district following the torrential rains, officials said.

Four bodies -- two bodies in Nainol, and one each in Data and Jaulasara villages of Jalore district -- have been recovered amid heavy downpour since Tuesday, a senior district administration official told PTI on Wednesday.

The official further said that the body which was recovered from Moongtala in Sirohi on Tuesday has been identified as 15-year-old Ganga, while the two other married women: Faglu, and Heeraki who drowned in the flash floods along with him were still missing.

Meanwhile, traffic was halted on the the Mount-Abu and Abu-Road in Sirohi district in the wake of the landslides triggered by heavy rains, a senior traffic official said.

Only medical emergency vehicles were allowed to pass under keen observation of traffic moderators from MountAbu to Abu-Road, the official told PTI on phone.

Tourists were advised to stay on the hill station of MountAbu till the rains abate, he said.

Two colonies: Indian Oil company's residential area and Gurunanak Colony in Abu Road were inundated following the torrential rains since last night. People were evacuated from these colonies to safer places, he said adding that a team of National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) was called from Udaipur to assist the civil and police administration.

Though there was a unit of Army and CRPF stationed in MountAbu but they could not be called in due to due to blockade on roads, he said.

A MeT report said Abu Road recorded the maximum rainfall of 408 mm and Mount Abu 329.6 mm at 8.30 am on Wednesday.

The rains abated in Sanchore and Jalore cities and water level from the low-lying areas started receding since last night, he said.

Two gates of Selwara dam were opened to control the overflowing rain water, and one gate was being repaired.

The district collectors and SPs of both Sirohi and Jalore districts were camping in the rain-affected areas to supervise the rescue operation with the help of Calamity and Relief Department.

Seven trains running on the Samdari-Bhilwari route were cancelled on Wednesday again by North-West Railways, while one train (Dadar-Bikaner) has been diverted following damages to the rail tracks due to incessant rains at Jalore-Sirohi route in Jaipur, its chief public relation officer Tarun Jain said.

Similarly, three other trains on Abu-Road and Palanpur rail section were cancelled partially or diverted, he said.

NWR cancelled the trains plying between Barmer-Munabao route scheduled for Wednesday after gravel and mud beneath the rail track was washed away due to heavy rains, CPRO Jain said.

The repair and maintenance work is underway on these sections, he said, advising passengers to check the status of their train on NWR's information and enquiry website.

Teams of NDRF and Jalore district are working round the clock to safeguard locals, a state government official said.

Moderate to heavy rains continued in entire Rajasthan and even in western regions of Jodhpur, Barmer, Jaisalmer, Bikaner, and Churu, a MeT official said.

Intense Monsoon trough will continue to lash the state by the coming weekend, the official said. 

Image: Commuters wade through a flooded road after heavy rains in Ahmedabad. Photograph: PTI Photo

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