NEW DELHI, July 21: Thirty-eight people were killed in rain-related incidents across the country today with heavy showers in Kerala, where a red alert was sounded in five districts, even as the floodwater receded in some parts of Assam.
Lightning strikes in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan accounted for 24 of the deaths. Twenty-six MGNREGA labourers were injured in the desert State when lightning struck them.
The toll in Assam floods rose to 64 with the deaths of five more people.
Two deaths were reported from Morigaon district and one each from Dhemaji, Goalpara and Kamrup districts, according to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA).
Eighteen of the state’s 33 districts still remain submerged, affecting 38.37 lakh people.
The floodwater receded in five districts but 2,669 villages, 1.35 lakh hectares of crop land and a portion of the Kaziranga National Park in Golaghat district continued to remain submerged, the ASDMA bulletin said.
The death count of animals at the Kaziranga National Park stood at 141.
In Bihar, the death toll due to the flood crossed the 100-mark, with five fresh deaths reported since Saturday from Madhubani district, which accounted for 23 of the total 102 casualties.
The flood has affected over 72 lakh people in 12 districts of the eastern State.
Sitamarhi, with 27 deaths, remained the worst-affected district, the State disaster management department said in its report.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar visited the relief camps in Sitamarhi and Darbhanga.
Two fresh deaths were reported from Kerala as rains continued to pound the southern State, where a red alert has been issued for five districts.
The body of Sahayaraju (55), one of the missing fishermen from Tamil Nadu, was found in Kerala’s Kollam district. Two other fishermen had managed to swim to safety, the coastal police said.
The body of Manesh Sebastian, who went missing in the Meenachil river of Kottayam district, was retrieved by the Navy. Three, including two fishermen from Tamil Nadu, are still missing.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert in Kasargod and Idukki districts for July 21, and in Kozhikode, Wayanad and Kannur districts for July 22. It has also predicted extremely heavy rainfall in Kannur and Kasargod districts on July 23. (PTI)
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