Eight killed as heavy rains lash Kolkata

New Delhi, July 3 (UNI) Four children were among eight people killed as heavy rains lashed Kolkata and its adjoining districts this morning submerging many areas and disrupting normal life.

The incessant rain that started early in the morning deluged most parts of Kolkata, flooding streets and entering many houses in the low-lying areas.

According to official sources, a total rainfall of 124.9 mm had been recorded in two hours till 0600 hours.

Heavy rains lashed several parts of Gujarat also.

Police have recovered three more bodies, including that of a minor girl in Maharashtra taking the toll in rain-related incidents to 17 so far.

The bodies were recovered from different parts of the city last evening, police said.

At least 14 people have died in rain-related incidents in Saurashtra region of Gujarat during the past 36 hours, as heavy rains continued unabated in several parts of the region on the third day today.

Official reports received from Jamnagar said it is the worst affected district in the region, reporting for eight deaths alone.

The administration has rescued 69 people in a rescue operation.

A meeting of high ranking officials was held at Jamnagar last night, in which the two, along with other senior government officials, assessed the situation arising out of torrential rains and directed the concerned officials to be ready for any eventuality.

Three deaths were reported from another badly-affected district of Junagadh, where a husband-wife duo was swept away in swirling waters while they were crossing the bridge in Anandpur village.

Three persons have died in Rajkot district where a woman was killed when a portion of her house collapsed.

Most parts of Himachal Pradesh received mild to heavy rainfall since morning. Shimla and its adjoining areas received heavy rainfall. More rainfall was predicted in the next 24 hours.

Moderate to heavy showers hit the national capital cooling down the city and ending the dry spell being experienced by the people since the onset of the monsoonl.

After a spell of light showers late last night, the Capital was lashed by moderate showers today.

The showers, which followed an overcast sky since last night, brought down the mercury in the city by several degrees, providing respite to people from the warm and humid conditions they had been experiencing over the past three to four days.

The minimum in the city dropped to 27.5 degrees, one degree below normal.

The rain led to water-logging and traffic jams in many areas, including Chandni Chowk, Karol Bagh and Model Town.

A Nepali couple was buried alive following a landslide in the Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand.

UNI