Nineteen persons were killed due to heavy rainfall in Gujarat and Maharashtra on Wednesday.
Of the total, 14 casualties were reported from Gujarat and the Kutch-Saurashtra region, which has received heavy rain since Tuesday, PTI reported. More than 31,000 residents have been evacuated from their homes and rehabilitated in temporary shelters.
Between 6 am and 10 am on Wednesday, parts of Junagadh, Gir Somnath, Dang and Amreli received rain between 47 millimetres and 88 millimetres, according to the State Emergency Operation Centre.
Parts of Kutch, Bharuch, Dang, Navsari and Tapi districts in south Gujarat received very heavy rainfall till 6 am on Wednesday, PTI reported.
Three national highways in Kutch, Navsari and Dang districts were blocked due to the damage caused by rains. Fifty-one state highways and more than 400 panchayat roads were also damaged, said state Disaster Management Minister Rajendra Trivedi.
Trivedi added that out of the 14 deaths, nine were killed due to drowning. In low-lying areas, 575 stranded residents were rescued, he said.
Eighteen teams of the National Disaster Response Force were engaged in rescue work and two were kept on standby, Trivedi said.
Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel asked the administration to survey the districts affected by rainfall so that residents get compensation without delay.
Toll 90 in Maharashtra
Five persons died in the districts of Palghar, Raigad and Nashik in Maharashtra because of heavy rains on Wednesday, The Indian Express reported. The new deaths took the toll to 90 in the state.
More than 1,800 residents have been evacuated across the state.
In the Palghar district, a man was killed in a landslide and two of his family members were injured. Thirteen labourers were trapped in a boat near an under-construction bridge over the Vaitarna river in the district.
“The labourers are in a safe spot but there is water all around,” said District Collector Manik Gursal said. “We have sent a team of NDRF and even alerted defence agencies, to fly in and winch them.’’
Paghar’s Superintendent of Police Balasaheb Patil said that he does not know why the labourers were working at the site despite a red alert in place for the district. A red alert warns of heavy to extremely heavy rainfall. Authorities are expected to be prepared to tackle adverse situations.
Palghar has recorded 74.6 millimetres of rain till Wednesday, which falls in the heavy category.
Meanwhile, one person was killed after a structure collapsed in Raigad district, while three died due to flash floods in Nagpur.
State Relief and Rehabilitation Principal Secretary Aseem Gupta said that a red alert had been issued for 12 districts, including Nashik and Palghar. Gadchiroli was a particular cause of concern, he added.
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