About 18 killed in UP, rain havoc in Rajasthan, alert in U’khand, HP
New Delhi: Uttar Pradesh bore the brunt of monsoon fury as rain-related incidents claimed 18 lives, with the IMD on Saturday issuing alerts for heavy rain in Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, West Bengal and Kerala.
While torrential rain caused a flood-like situation in parts of Rajasthan; heavy rainfall and landslides in some areas of Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim affected normal life and disrupted traffic movement.
In Uttar Pradesh, 18 people died in a period of over 24 hours ending at 8 pm on July 18. Of the total, eight died of drowning following excessive rain, while two were a result of snakebites.
In Chitrakoot, two deaths due to drowning were reported on July 17 and 18, three in Moradabad on July 17, and one drowned in Ghazipur on July 18, according to an official statement.
Rain-related incidents after downpour claimed three lives in Banda and two each in Mahoba and Chitrakoot, and one in Lalitpur on July 18, the statement said.
In Rajasthan, heavy rainfall over the past 24 hours has resulted in flood-like conditions in several cities, including Ajmer, Pushkar, Bundi, Sawai Madhopur, and Pali.
Many villages have been cut off as rivers, drains, and dams overflowed due to the intense rain. On Friday night, 17 people got stranded in the Banas River near Golera village in the Todaraisingh area of Tonk, but they were later rescued by the SDRF.
In Ajmer’s Dargah area, several people were swept away by the strong water flow, prompting locals to intervene and rescue them.
The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) has evacuated 176 people to safer places in Ajmer.
SDRF Commandant Rajendra Singh Sisodia said information was received from Ajmer Police Control Room last evening that people were stranded in various colonies following heavy rains.
Areas like Subhash Nagar Colony, Sagar Vihar, Van Vihar Colony, Idgah Colony, Vaishali Nagar, Aam Talab, Gulab Bari of the city were flooded with three to four feet of water, due to which a large number of people were stranded.
The SDRF team rescued 176 citizens trapped in various colonies of Ajmer city since last evening. Ajmer’s Ana Sagar lake is overflowing as a result of the persistent rain, with locals using sandbags to try to control the flow.
The highest rainfall recorded was 234.0 mm in Nainwa of Bundi district, followed by 230 mm in Merta City of Nagaur, 190 mm in Mangliawas of Ajmer, 180 mm in Nasirabad of Ajmer, and 160 mm in Pratapgarh.
