LUCKNOW: At least 18 people have died due to floods in Balrampur and Bahraich districts of Uttar Pradesh over the past three days. The districts of Barabanki, Gonda, Siddharth Nagar, Mahrajganj, Balrampur and Bahraich districts in central UP are worst affected following heavy rains, according to officials. So far, 21 NDRF teams have been deployed to carry out rescue and relief operations in over 14 districts of UP.
After the arrival of additional teams, NDRF commandant Alok Singh said in Varanasi that excess release of water from Nepal had left the rivers, including Sharda, Gharghra, Rapti, Budhi Rapti and Rohin flowing above the danger mark in many districts. Relief committees have been set up to provide succour to those affected.
In Bahraich and Shravasti, while the waters of Rapti receded a bit on Thursday, the villages revealed tell-tale signs with at least 20 houses and a school building having been washed away completely.
In Bahraich, eight persons were killed of which five died in Mehsi and one each in Nanpara, Mihipurwa and Kaiserganj areas during the last three days. According to Bahraich DM Ajay Deep Singh the Ghaghra and Saryu rivers were also flowing above the danger mark at several places.
It was a similar scenario in Bhinga and Shravasti. People were shifted to the roads. A road-side bridge in Laxmannagar was washed away three days back. According to the toll by Balrampur DM RK Mishra, seven persons had died in the district in last 48 hours. Meanwhile, the state government announced a relief of `4 lakh each to the next kin of the deceased.
However, the NDRF commandant said that 7,566 people were evacuated to safer places from flood-affected areas until Thursday morning while 60 others were saved by carrying out rescue operations in remote areas during the night.
U’khand cloudbust: Kailash yatra suspended
Pithoragarh: Kailash Mansarovar pilgrims were airlifted on Thursday after the yatra was temporarily suspended as the route between Mangti and Malpa was damaged due to the recent cloudbursts in which eight people were killed.
Forty-seven pilgrims of the 16th batch were airlifted to Dharchula by helicopters and 23 members of the 13th returning batch were airlifted to Pithoragarh from Gunji on Wednesday, Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam officer from Nainital, D K Sharma said. Twenty-three members of the 13th batch have been airlifted from Gunji and the rest of the members will be airlifted on Friday, he said. This is being done due to broken roads at Malpa and Mangti where natural disaster struck two days ago.