Heavy rains lash Gwalior-Chambal region, 200 villages marooned

New Delhi: Torrential rains pummelled the Gwalior-Chambal region in Madhya Pradesh, affecting 1,171 villages. Six people, including three children, died in rain-related incidents across northern states of the country which were lashed by heavy rainfall.

In Madhya Pradesh, heavy rains were witnessed in Gwalior-Chambal region, especially Sheopur and Shivpuri districts, officials said, adding NDRF and SDRF teams have rescued 1,600 people from flooded areas so far but at least 200 villages are still marooned.

The Army has been called in for rescue operations in Shivpuri, Sheopur, Gwalior and Datia districts, state Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Rajesh Rajora said, adding that despite bad weather, IAF helicopters conducted four sorties to rescue people from the flood-affected areas.

Earlier in the day, three people stranded atop a tree for about 24 hours in Beechi village and five others in Piproudha in flood-hit Shivpuri district, which witnessed "unprecedented heavy rains", were rescued, officials said.

"A total of 1,171 villages were affected in the Gwalior-Chambal region due to excessive rainfall, especially Shivpuri and Sheopur, where an unprecedented 800 mm rainfall (in the last 24 hours ending 8 am on Tuesday) resulted in flooding," Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan told reporters.

A 22-year-old UP resident died and two people sustained injuries in a landslide that hit Himachal Pradesh's Solan district, a state disaster management official said.

In Uttarakhand, a stretch of Gangotri national highway caved in following a landslide triggered by heavy rains disrupting vehicular traffic along the route.

The 30-metre stretch fell and slid into Bhagirathi river bringing traffic to a halt, District Disaster Management Officer Devendra Patwal said. It has been raining heavily in the district for nearly 15 days activating several landslide zones from Nagun to Harshil.

Three children died after two vehicles were swept away in strong water currents following rains in Rajasthan's Sawaimadhopur and Tonk, police said.

In the first incident on Monday night, two children drowned in a drain after their car was swept away in strong water currents in Sawaimadhopur district.

According to police, Pappu Lal along with his three sons and a relative was travelling in a car and tried to cross the drain despite high water level.

"The car was swept away in water. Ramjilal, his elder son and the relative were rescued while bodies of his two minor sons were found stuck in bushes," police said.

In a similar incident in Tonk on Tuesday, an ambulance carrying a woman's body was washed away in strong currents following rains, which killed her 12-year-old son. Her husband is still missing.

In another incident, two men died and another went missing as their car fell into an overflowing pond, police said.

Residential areas were inundated, houses collapsed and hundreds of people were evacuated from several villages in low-lying areas in Baran as heavy rains lashed the district for the second consecutive day.

A flood-like situation was seen in the district's worst-hit Shahabad and Kishanganj blocks.

Shahabad block received 246 mm of rainfall in the 24 hours ending at 7 am on Tuesday and a further 60 mm of rain was recorded till 11 am, inundating several colonies in the low-lying areas, Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Rahul Malhotra said.

Around 700 people have so far been evacuated from villages in the low-lying areas and shifted to Atal Seva Kendras and school buildings.

A State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) team rescued five members of a family, including three children, who were trapped overnight in their house in Bohta village under Mangrol police station as it was flooded after the Banganga river burst its banks, officials said. Around 40-50 people are stranded in Sodana and Raibarpura villages of Kishanganj and a rescue operation is underway.

In Haryana and Punjab, the maximum temperatures hovered below normal limits at most places.

According to the MeT Department, Chandigarh (2.4 mm), Ambala (1 mm), Ludhiana (28 mm) and Patiala (30.8 mm) were among the places that received rainfall. Chandigarh was also lashed by rains.

Light to moderate rain and thundershower occurred at a few places over western Uttar Pradesh and at isolated places over eastern parts of the state, the MeT Department said.

The Maharashtra government on Tuesday announced a Rs 11,500-crore financial package for rain and flood-affected people besides for repair works and reconstruction of roads and other critical infrastructure damaged in the deluge

last month.