Heavy rains claimed 49 lives in Gujarat over week, 37,000 rescued
NDRF and Army, officials said on Wednesday. A deep depression triggered heavy to very heavy rainfall in several areas of Gujarat between August 25 to 30. The depression, formed over the Gujarat-Rajasthan border, gradually moved into the Arabian Sea (which later turned into cyclonic storm Asna), said State Relief Commissioner Alok Kumar Pandey.
During this period, 49 persons died in rain-related incidents, such as lightning strikes, wall collapse, and drowning in flood waters, he told reporters at Gandhinagar-based State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC).
«Among the 49 deaths, the kin of 22 have already been paid Rs 4 lakh each as compensation as per norms. A sum of Rs 1.78 crore has been disbursed to the owners of 2,618 livestock that perished,» Pandey said, adding that Gujarat so far received 108 per cent of its average annual rainfall.
In the wake of the heavy rainfall, 17 teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), 27 from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), nine columns from the Army, and additional teams of the IAF and the Coast Guard were deployed, the state relief commissioner added.
«These teams have successfully rescued 37,050 people and relocated 42,083 others to safer locations. Additionally, 53 people have been airlifted to safety,» said Pandey.
He said surveys are being conducted in rain-affected districts to assess the damage caused to temporary as well as permanent houses, including those partially or destroyed.
«An assistance worth Rs 3.67 crore has been distributed to the
