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Bengal

2 dead in lightning strikes, at least 1.41L evacuated in past 24 hours

2 dead in lightning strikes, at least 1.41L evacuated in past 24 hours
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Kolkata: The incessant rainfall for the past one week, with a gap for a couple of days in between, have claimed 16 lives so far including two on Monday.

With the rain pounding Kolkata and its surrounding districts, nearly 14 lakh people were badly affected due to heavy inundation of water in districts including Howrah, East and West Midnapore, North and South 24-Parganas and parts of Hooghly. Major parts of around 47 blocks and eight municipalities were heavily inundated. Around one lakh houses were damaged with the areas going under water.

The areas including major parts of Patashpur I, Keshpur, Ghatal, Udaynarayanpur, Panskura I, Dantan, Sabang and Midnapore went under water forcing the people to leave their houses and to stay at school and college buildings. In South 24-Parganas, residents of low lying areas including Gosaba, Canning-I and II, Kakdwip, Diamond Harbour-I and II, Budge Budge-II, Thakurpukur blocks and Maheshtala, Baruipur , Rajpur-Sonarpur, Joynagar-Majilpur Municipalities were highly inconvenienced.

More than 1.41 lakh people were evacuated from the vulnerable riverine and coastal areas in the last 24 hours. The state Disaster Management Department along with district administration are running 577 relief camps where nearly 60,000 people have been given shelter. Around 9,825 people were shifted to 68 relief camps in South 24-Parganas.

Around 60,000 tarpaulins and other relief materials have been distributed among the affected people.

According to the sources in the state Disaster Management department, around 16 people died due to various reasons during incessant rainfall since September 14. Six people died when wall fell on them and eight drowned (seven in West Midnapore and one in East Midnapore). Two persons died due to lightning at Purbasthali in East Burdwan and Bishnupur in Bankura on Monday. There is also report on one Arabinda Jana going missing from East Midnapore.

Embankments at different areas including one embankment at Chunakhali in Basanti was partly damaged and has been repaired as well.

Boats were pressed to rescue people who failed to leave their houses before the water level went up. The situation has turned worse as the water level in rivers including Keleghai has gone up due to the high tide that would also continue in the next two days. The water started over flowing embankments at many places.

Officers are monitoring the situation from Nabanna as well with a control room (phone number: 1070 22143526) is operational round the clock at the state secretariat. The situation had turned worse at Sagar in South 24-Parganas with a tornado like wind circulation hitting the island on Monday morning damaging a portion of Ganga Sagar Cottage.

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