17 people killed in Marathwada, floods in Asom continue to be grim

New Delhi, June 18 (UNI) Seventeen people in seven districts of the Marathwada region in Maharashtra were killed in lightning strike in the past 48 hours, while the flood situation in Asom continued to remain grim.

Deputy Divisional Commissioner of Aurangabad Dileep Shinde told UNI that Latur district was one of the worst affected by the natural calamity, where lightning claimed seven lives yesterday.

Several head of cattle too were killed due to lightning in the Marathwada region, he added.

However, sowing operations have picked up in the Marathwada region after the arrival of monsoon in almost of all the eight districts, sources said.

In Asom, water levels of river Longai, Singha and Kushiara were still above the danger level and the road connection between Brahmaputra and Barak valley remained snapped.

Kaziranga National Park was under full grip of the flood. The park had been closed for visitors since June 11 as the flood water had entered the park.

Heat wave conditions prevailed at isolated places in east Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha and of Chhattisgarh.

In Delhi, partly cloudy sky continued to keep the mercury below normal levels, providing some relief to Delhiites from the heat.

The maximum temperature recorderd was 37.6 degrees Celsius, two degrees below normal.

The minimum temperature rose 23.2 degrees Celsius, that is six degrees below normal.

In the regions where the southwest monsoon is yet to set in, day temperatures were appreciably above normal in eastern Uttar Pradesh and in some parts of north Madhya Maharashtrta and of Telangana, remaining parts of Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha and of Chhattisgarh and were above normal in Marathwada.

Rain or thundershowers are also likely to occur at isolated places in Uttar Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha, Gujarat, coastal Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

Rain or thundershowers have occurred at many places in north interior Karnataka.

At least thirty cattle have been killed and a cowherd severely burnt in Jagdalpur, after being struck by lightning in Chhattisgarh's Bastar district, police said.

The incident occurred yesterday when a Kuroospal village-resident was returning after the cattle grazed in a forest. The cowherd was hospitalised at Tokapal block headquarters.

UNI TEAM AK PC1949