Incessant rains cause havoc in Vidarbha; 15 dead

Nagpur, Aug 6 (UNI) Incessant rains for the last four days have claimed 15 lives in Vidarbha, as rivers, reserviors and dams have started overflowing affecting vehicular traffic on national and state highways today.

Reports reaching here inform that 7 people were killed in a house collapse in Akola, 4 persons were washed away in flood waters in Wardha and Gondia districts, one each in Chandarpur and Washim, while one woman and a man were killed in two separate cases of house collapse at Buldana and at Jimalgattha village, in Gadchiroli districts.

In Yavatmal district, about 60 persons who were trapped in flood waters at Anantwadi in Mahagaon taluka were rescued. Yavatmal was the most badly affected district in Vidarbha where all the rivers and reserviors were flowing above the danger mark. A number of houses have collapsed and the national and state highways leading to the district were blocked due to flooding waters. Communications in more than ten villages were snapped in the district, reports disclosed.

The administration has swung into action, rushing relief to the affected people as water entered lowlying areas and roads remained inundated in several villages. People residing in lowlying areas were shifted to safer places in Wardha, Buldana, Akola and Yavatmal.

A number of live stocks in several districts were killed due to the fury of the raingods.

Since the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) has suspended it's service at most places, a large number of commuters have been stranded at ST bus stands, they added.

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