Gujarat rains: Death toll rises to 26, thousands evacuated amid flood chaos | India News

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NEW DELHI: Gujarat has witnessed heavy rainfall, resulting in the loss of 19 more lives due to rain-related incidents, bringing the total death toll to 26. Approximately 17,800 people have been evacuated from flood-affected areas as the state continues to experience heavy showers for the fourth consecutive day on Wednesday, according to officials.
Among the deceased are seven individuals who went missing after their tractor trolley was swept away while crossing an overflowing causeway near Dhavana village in Morbi district’s Halvad taluka on Sunday.A police official confirmed that their bodies have been recovered.
With the latest spell of rainfall, Gujarat has received 105 per cent of its average annual rainfall, according to the State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC). Several Saurashtra districts experienced very heavy rainfall in the 24-hour period ending at 6 am on Wednesday, with Khambhalia taluka of Devbhumi Dwarka district receiving the highest at 454 mm.
As per an official release, 140 reservoirs and dams, and 24 rivers in the state were flowing above the danger marks, while 122 out of 206 dams were put on high alert due to a sharp rise in their water levels. The heavy rains also disrupted the movement of traffic and trains, with roads and railway lines being flooded. T
Despite a pause in the rains, Vadodara faced significant flooding in its low-lying areas after the Vishwamitri river breached its banks and entered residential localities, inundating buildings, roads, and vehicles.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached out to chief minister Bhupendra Patel to assess the situation and assured the Centre’s support in dealing with the natural disaster.
On Wednesday, districts in the Saurashtra region, such as Devbhumi Dwarka, Jamnagar, Rajkot, and Porbandar, received between 50mm and 200mm of rainfall in a 12-hour period ending at 6 pm, with Bhanvad taluka of Devbhumi Dwarka district receiving the highest rainfall at 185 mm.
IMD has predicted extremely heavy rains in isolated parts of Saurashtra districts on Thursday. In Vadodara city, teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), and three columns of the Army were deployed to rescue and relocate people stranded in their houses and on rooftops to safer places.
Minister Rushikesh Patel informed the media that over 5,000 people have been evacuated, and another 1,200 have been rescued so far in Vadodara. Chief minister Patel has directed authorities to deploy cleaning equipment and spray disinfectants in the city as soon as the flood water starts receding.
Apart from the NDRF and SDRF, the Army, Indian Air Force, and Coast Guard are carrying out rescue and relief operations in rain-ravaged parts of the state, with around 17,800 people relocated and another 2,000 rescued so far.
The deaths reported in the last three days occurred in various districts, including Rajkot, Anand, Mahisagar, Kheda, Ahmedabad, Morbi, Junagadh, and Bharuch. On Wednesday, three members of a family drowned after their car was swept away by flood waters in Rajkot, according to the police.



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