At least 26 dead in flash floods in western India

“The deaths happened due to various incidents such as building collapse and electrocution”, the official said. So far as the death and damage figures are concerned, we can only provide the accurate figure after the rain stops and water recedes from the areas, ‘ the chief secretary said. According to a release issued by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, a man identified as Ranjit (30) was killed near Kotarpur area after a tree fell on a rickshaw in which he was travelling.

The downpour since Monday has disrupted normal life even as the national disaster response force and the state reserve police teams were dispatched to Banaskantha in north Gujarat in the view of flood-like situation.

In last 24 hours 233 talukas of all the 33 districts have experienced rain with maximum of 495 mm in Deesa of Banaskantha district. He said three rain-related casualties were reported from Rajkot and Patan districts each and one from Sabarkantha.

In Kutch, Nakhtrana received 314mm rainfall followed by Bhuj (252mm), Rapar (232mm), Bhachau (146mm) and Mandvi received 90mm rainfall in last 24 hours. Ahmedabad city received 138.45 mm of rainfall.

“Rescue operation is going on in full swing and around 2,500 people were shifted to safer places from Banaskantha, Patan, Mehsana districts of north Gujarat”. While, two teams of Border Security Force (BSF) and one team of NDRF was deployed in Kutch region for rescue and relief operations.

Rail traffic was also affected with the heavy rainfall in the state, as many as 11 trains were cancelled on Tuesday, said Railway PRO of Ahmedabad division.

Banaskantha became the worst hit district as relentless rain caused a flood-like situation, especially in towns bordering Rajasthan, the epicenter of deep depression that is bringing rainfall in Gujarat.

Incessant rains during the last 48 hours have claimed 27 lives in Gujarat.