Surat residents give a sigh of relief as water level recedes

Ahmedabad, Aug 11 (UNI) With the water level receding, the tension and fear that gripped the Surat city residents are slowly giving way to relief.

Nine bodies were found floating in flood waters in low-lying areas of the city today. Of them, three were from Dandi, while the rest were from Varachha road areas.

People feared that the exact number of casualities may never be known as bodies of missing persons may have flown to the sea.

The authorities have admitted that the worst affected areas were the low-lying Rander and Adajan, which are still heavily flooded as they are located on the banks of the Tapti river.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh made an aerial survey in an IAF helicopter in the late evening to have first hand impression of the calamity's magnitude.

Meanwhile, flood control authorities have reduced the release of water to 5.29 lakh cusecs from the Ukai dam, as compared to 5.5 lakh cusecs yesterday, as the influx of water into the dam has also gone down to 4.29 lakh cusecs.

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