Heavy rains in Gujarat kill 34 people, thousands evacuated

Ahmedabad: 34 people died after heavy rains triggered a deep depression in Gujarat on Wednesday. [caption id=“attachment_2311560” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. PTI[/caption] Saurashtra region was pounded by incessant rains with Gir Somnath, Amreli, Bhavnagar, Rajkot and Ahmedabad among the worst-affected districts. NDRF, air force and SRP teams were pressed into service at Gondal of Rajkot district and in Amreli district to rescue stranded people as many villages have been cut off and electricity supply has been disrupted. Indian Coast Guard and air force rescued 14 crew members of a ship MV Coastal Pride which sank near Umargaon coast. As many as 34 people lost their lives on Wednesday including 23 casualties in the worst affected Amreli district, state relief commissioner DN Pandey told PTI. “Five people died in Bhavnagar district and two persons died in Rajkot district,” Pandey said. Two people died due to electrocution in Surat, said city’s district collector Rajendra Kumar adding that the city recorded more than 100 mm rainfall on Wednesday. According to the state control room data, around 1,500 people in Amreli, 4,121 in Rajkot and 100 in Bhavnagar were shifted to safer places from low-lying areas. Around 60 villages in Amreli district were cut off from the rest of the state. The situation worsened after water of Shetrunji river entered surrounding villages. Villages of Dhari (511 mm), Bagasara (636 mm) and Variyav (400 mm) in Amreli district recorded very heavy rainfall, control room officer Siddiq Beldiwala said. Around 1,500 people residing in lower areas of the district were evacuated with the help of State Reserve Police Force (SPRF) and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams. At least 350 people trapped in areas with heavy water-logging were evacuated from Rajkot, which recorded more than 323 mm rainfall in last 24 hours. In Rajkot’s Gondal taluka, ten villages were cut off by flood waters, said district collector Manisha Chandra. Three teams of NDRF were deployed in Gondal, she added. The road traffic was also disrupted at several places. Western Railway PRO said trains on Gondal line were affected due to water logging on tracks. “The deep depression over Saurashtra and adjoining Gujarat region persists,” MET department said in its forecast. “The deep depression will be moving northeast-wardly and is likely to bring heavy rains in Gujarat region tomorrow after which it will weaken,” deputy director of the Ahmedabad centre of MET Manorama Mohanty said. Some areas in Ahmeabad have recorded 200 mm of rainfall in the last four hours. PTI