Patna flooded due to incessant rains, 13 dead

At least 13 persons have died after buildings collapsed and trees fell on them due to incessant rain in Patna, Bhagalpur and Kaimur districts of Bihar.

The three districts are among over a dozen in the state that were lashed by incessant rain for close to 48 hours bringing normal business to a grinding halt and disrupting rail and road traffic in most places.

According to weather department, the state capital has received more than 200 mm of rainfall since Friday evening, which was described by Principal Secretary, Disaster Management department, Pratyay Amrit as 'totally unexpected'.

He also expressed concern over water having entered many power sub-stations which could affect the functioning of sump houses in the long run.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, emerging from a video conference with district magistrates, told reporters, "We are making all possible efforts. I would appeal to the people of the state to have patience and courage.

"Torrential rain have followed a prolonged dry spell which vindicates our governments resolve to combat climate change through environmental preservation."

According to Bhagalpur District Magistrate, Pranav Kumar, three persons died when the boundary wall of a temple collapsed in Barari police station area while as many people were buried alive when a house caved in at Khanjarpur area.

In Danapur, on the outskirts of Patna, a one-year-old girl and three women died when a tree fell on an autorickshaw carrying them.

Three deaths were reported from Bhabhua, the district headquarters of Kaimur, where continuous rain led to the collapse of two mud houses.

A birds eye view of Patna made the city appear like a huge lake dotted with structures of concrete while low-lying areas like Rajendra Nagar and Pataliputra Colony home to many prominent citizens, private hospitals and medical stores and situated several kilometres apart were submerged in waist-deep water.

"It was unexpected. The weather department had last week predicted heavy rainfall for many parts of Bihar but not Patna. We are trying our best to rescue people from inundated areas with the help of National Disaster Response Force and State Disaster Response Force. The sump houses are working overtime. However, water entering power sub-stations poses a challenge," Amrit said.

Nearly 110 dead in 4 days due to heavy rains across country

While incessant rainfall in Bihar has badly hit normal life, nearly 110 people died in rain-related incidents across the country in the past four days, with Uttar Pradesh reporting the maximum deaths.

In Uttar Pradesh, at least 79 people have died since Thursday. According to a state government report, 25 people died on Saturday, 18 lost their lives on Friday and 36 the day before.

In Gujarat, three women drowned after their car was swept away at a flooded causeway in Rajkot district on Sunday following heavy rains in several parts of Saurashtra region, officials said.

As many as 13 deaths were also reported on Saturday from Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan in incidents triggered by heavy rains.

Meanwhile, IMD Director General Mritunjay Mohapatra said on Sunday that the four-month monsoon season which is officially ending on Monday is unlikely to withdraw even till the weekend.

The IMD said active monsoon still prevails over parts of Rajasthan, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

Meanwhile, President Ram Nath Kovind's scheduled programme on Sunday at Jharkhand's Gumla district has been cancelled, an official statement said.

Though the reason for the cancellation was not mentioned in the statement, sources said the decision was taken owing to heavy rain across the region.

Train services on the Ballia-Chhapra section of the North Eastern Railway (NER) was disrupted due to heavy rain on Sunday. Public Relations Officer, NER, Mahesh Gupta said seven trains on this section has been cancelled, while six trains have been diverted.

In Kolkata also, several streets have been waterlogged due to heavy rains.

In J&K, a 54-year-old sub inspector of the Border Security Force is suspected to have drowned in a swollen river along the International Border (IB) in Jammu, officials said on Sunday.

They said the Border Security Force has launched a massive search operation and also intimated their Pakistani counterparts after Sub-Inspector (SI) Paritosh Mondal went missing from the bank of a river near the Jaikishan post in Arnia sector on Saturday around 6 pm.

The SI, belonging to the 36th battalion of the force, is said to be accompanied by two constables of the force and were out for an area domination patrol when he went missing.

The river is in spate due to heavy rains, they said.