New Delhi, Sept 19: Tthe flood situation in Uttar Pradesh and the eastern states of Bihar and West Bengal continued to be grim with thousands of people reeling under its impact, while the death toll in flood-related incidents rose to over 800. Ballia district authorities in Uttar Pradesh called in the army for the second time to provide assistance in relief and rescue operations, as 11 more districts were declared flood-affected, and the toll rose to 656 in the state. The situation in Bihar and Bengal continued to be critical with the death toll rising to 171 in Bihar and over 500,000 people affected in West Bengal's Malda and Murshidabad districts. The toll in the flood there rose to seven. A report from Lucknow, qouting official sources, said with 76 more deaths reported in the last 48 hours, the toll in the state had gone up to 656. Of these, 563 people died from house collapse, while 103 were drowned. Over 7.7 million people have been affected in the floods in 35 district so far, of which 31 districts have been officially declared flood-affected.


Reports from Varanasi and Allahadbad said the flood situation had worsened as all rivers were rising and flowing above their danger marks, inundating fresh areas.


Bureau Report