Uttar Pradesh floods claim 72 lives, 21 lakh people hit in 24 districts

Lucknow: The overall flood situation in Uttar Pradesh remained grim on Monday with three more deaths pushing the toll to 72, the state relief commissioner's office said.

Over 20 lakh people have been hit by the current spell of floods in 24 districts of the state.

"The death toll in the floods has reached 72 in the state. 2,688 villages in 24 districts are flooded," the relief commissioner's office said here citing a flood report.

It said that 43,602 people have take shelter in relief camps in the affected districts of eastern UP, whipped by the raging waters of the rivers emanating from Nepal.

Reports reaching here said that Army choppers, NDRF and PAC (flood) jawans continued relief and rescue operations round-the-clock in the severely hit areas of the flood- affected districts of the state.

The release of water in the rivers emanating from Nepal and incessant rains impeded rescue work and evacuation of people to safer areas, they said.

Twenty-one companies of the NDRF, 30 of the PAC (flood), two choppers of the Indian Air Force (IAF) and several columns of the Army were working day and night to save lives and properties in the affected areas.

A Central Water Commission report here said the Sharda was flowing above the red mark at Palia Kalan and near the danger mark at Shardanagar while the Ghaghra was flowing above the red mark at Elgin Bridge, Ayodhya and Turtipar (Ballia).

The Rapti was also flowing well above the red mark at Rigauli and Birdghat (Gorakhpur), while the Budhi Rapti was above the danger level at Kakrahi (Siddharth Nagar), the Rohin and the Quano are flowing above danger mark at Trimohini Ghat (Mahrajganj) and Chandradeep Ghat (Gonda), it said.