Gujarat rains: Death toll rises to 26, IMD predicts more rainfall over next 2 days

Rain-related incidents claimed 19 more lives in Gujarat, taking the toll to 26 in three days, while around 17,800 people were evacuated from flood-affected areas as heavy showers lashed parts of the state for the fourth consecutive day on Wednesday, officials said. The deceased include seven persons who went missing after the tractor trolley they were travelling in was swept away while crossing an overflowing causeway near Dhavana village under Halvad taluka of Morbi district on Sunday, a police official said, adding their bodies have been recovered.

The India Meteorological Department has forecast of extremely heavy rains in isolated parts of districts in Saurashtra on Thursday.

Even as rains took a pause in Vadodara, it grappled with flooding in a large swathe of low-lying areas after the Vishwamitri river, flowing through the city, breached its banks and entered residential localities, inundating buildings, roads and vehicles. Amid flood-like situation prevailing in several parts of Gujarat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called up Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel to take stock of the situation, and assured the Centre's support to the state in tackling the natural disaster.

On Wednesday, districts in the Saurashtra region such as Devbhumi Dwarka, Jamnagar, Rajkot and Porbandar received between 50mm and 200 mm rains in 12-hour period ended 6 pm. Bhanvad taluka of Devbhumi Dwarka district received 185 mm rainfall during this period, the highest in the state. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast of extremely heavy rains in isolated parts of districts in Saurashtra on Thursday.

People stranded in their houses and rooftops in Vadodara city were rescued and relocated to safer places by teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), its state counterpart SDRF and three columns of the Army deployed for the purpose, officials said. Minister Rushikesh Patel told mediapersons that over 5,000 people have been evacuated and another 1,200 rescued so far in Vadodara.

Three additional columns of the Army, and one each of the NDRF and the SDRF, were deployed in the city on Wednesday. Chief Minister Patel directed authorities to deploy cleaning equipment and spray disinfectants in Vadodara city as soon as flood water starts receding. He directed that teams from municipal corporations of Ahmedabad and Surat, and municipalities of Bharuch and Anand be deployed in Vadodara for the purpose.

The CM ordered the deployment of five additional teams of the NDRF and four Army columns to assist the administration in rescue and relief operations in Vadodara. Additional rescue boats should also be sent from Ahmedabad and Surat to the flood-affected city, he said. Apart from the NDRF and the SDRF, the Army, the Indian Air Force and the Coast Guard were carrying out rescue and relief operations in rain-ravaged parts, with around 17,800 people relocated and another 2,000 rescued so far, officials said.

As many as 26 persons have died in rain-related incidents in the last three days. These deaths were reported from Rajkot, Anand, Mahisagar, Kheda, Ahmedabad, Morbi, Junagadh and Bharuch districts. At least nine persons died in rain-related incidents, such as collapse of walls and drowning, in different parts of the state on Tuesday, an official release said. On Monday, seven persons died in similar incidents in the state.

On Wednesday, three members of a family drowned after their car got swept away in flood waters in Rajkot, police said. Rescue teams found seven bodies of people who had gone missing after the tractor trolley on which they were travelling was swept away while crossing an overflowing causeway near Dhavana village of Morbi district on Sunday, SP Rahul Tripathi said. Three of these bodies were found on Tuesday and four on Wednesday, said Morbi fire officer Devendrasinh Jadeja, adding one person was still missing. 

With ANI inputs