Rain death toll hits 29 in Bihar

Dy CM Sushil Modi and family rescued from flooded home; NDRF has moved over 4,000 people to safety in Patna alone; IMD predicts more rain

PATNA The death toll due to incessant rainfall and flood in different areas of the state has risen to 29, officials of the Bihar State Disaster Management Authority said on Monday.

The state has requested the Indian Air Force (IAF) for two helicopters for lifting and airdropping food packets and medicines, in the flood-affected areas of the region, where dewatering machines have also been sought.

According to India Meteorological Department (IMD), Patna will receive more rainfall for the next few days accompanied by thunderstorms.

Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Modi was rescued from his residence on Monday as he was stranded due to flooding in the area. National and State Disaster Response Forces bailed the whole family out by towing them away on a boat. The family members also carried a few belongings with them.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday afternoon visited severely flooded areas of the state capital, including Dak Bungalow Chauraha, Gandhi Maidan, Exhibition Road, Kankarbagh Road, NMCH, Agamkuan Bridge and Anishabad, and issued necessary instructions to officials for resolving the issue.

Meanwhile, more than 4,000 people, including women and children, were rescued from the flood-affected areas of Bihar’s capital city on Monday, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) said.

The force said it has deployed five teams, with about 45 personnel in each, to conduct rescue and relief works in the city.

An NDRF spokesperson said normal life has been disrupted in Patna and adjoining areas like Rajendra Nagar, Kankar Bagh, Patrakar Nagar, Hanuman Nagar and Malahi Pakri, among others.

Talking about other parts of the state, he said the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has deployed a total of 19 teams in 14 districts of Bihar for flood relief work. Two teams are deployed at Bhagalpur while one team each has been tasked to tackle floods in Buxar, Munger, Begusarai, Gopalganj, Kishanganj, Katihar, Khagaria, Madhubani, Supaul, Vaishali, Araria and Darbhanga.

Rains leave 15 dead, 6 injured in east UP; 3 killed in Jharkhand

#LUCKNOW/ RANCHI Fifteen people died and six sustained injuries in eastern Uttar Pradesh in rain-related incidents. Around 294 houses were damaged due to excessive rain over the past three to four days in districts like Sant Ravidas Nagar, Azamgarh, Mirzapur, Varanasi, Pratapgarh, Ambedkar Nagar, Chandauli, Prayagraj and Jaunpur. The Ganga is flowing above danger levels in Ghazipur, and Kuwano river flowing above the mark in Gonda.

In Jharkhand, cops said three persons sleeping inside a mud house died after it collapsed on Monday at Amjhara village in Dumka. The boundary wall of Jharkhand Social Welfare Minister Louis Marandi in Dumka district also fell. A vital river bridge in Chandalmara village in Pakur district was washed away due to the rains. AGENCIES

Flood waters enter UP jail, 900-odd prisoners shifted

#BALLIA Floodwaters entered barracks of the district jail near the River Ganga at Ballia in Uttar Pradesh, prompting authorities to shift around 900 prisoners to other jails, a senior official said on Monday. Four deputy superintendents of police, 20 SHOs, 80 sub-inspectors, 146 head constables and 380 constables have been deployed to ensure safe shifting of the inmates.

Of the 900 prisoners, 500 are being shifted to Azamgarh Jail and remaining to Ambedkarnagar. All barracks are submerged in about three feet of water and the sleeping areas are under one foot of water. Sewers and drains are also overflowing. PTI