Bhubaneswar, Oct 07: Incessant rains continued to lash several parts of Orissa for the fourth day today as the depression formed over the Bay of Bengal crossed the coast near Kalingapatnam in Andhra Pradesh early this morning. The depression lay centred at about 100 km east of Jagdalpur in Chhattisgarh and was likely to move in a north- north-westerly direction and gradually weaken, met office sources here said.

Under its influence, rain or thundershower were likely to occur at most places over Orissa, the sources said while warning that heavy rains were likely to occur at a few places with very heavy falls at isolated places during the next 24 hours. The rains had already claimed three lives in the coastal Kendrapara district in separate incidents of drowning and wall collapse.

The rains which ruined the Durga Puja festivities on the Navami and Dussehra days, had also partially affected the immersion ceremony in Cuttack and Bhubaneswar.

Waterlogging had occurred in many low-lying areas of Cuttack city where Durga Puja is held every year on a grand scale. While some of the images had been immersed at Cuttack last night, the programme in Bhubaneswar was postponed till tomorrow.

Reports from Berhampur said that heavy rains had caused widespread damage in Ganjam and Gajapati districts disrupting road communication in many places.

Bureau Report