Relief operations continue in flood-hit states

Patna/Gorakhpur, Aug 5: Relief operations continued in flood-hit Uttar Pradesh and Bihar on Sunday, with rescue officials reaching marooned villages on helicopters and boats with foods and other essentials.

In Bihar, four air force helicopters dropped foods, medicines and clothing to some of the 10 million affected in the state, where the situation has further worsened with no let up in rains.

Food scarcity is the biggest problem in the affected areas, followed by scare of epidemic outbreak.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said that all possible efforts were on to provide succour to the affected.

"The relief operation is going on well, on all counts. We are airdropping relief material at places surrounded completely by floodwaters. At other places, we are reaching relief on boats. Efforts are on at war footing," he said before boarding a chopper for an aerial survey.

In Orissa and Uttar Pradesh, 39 people have died since Saturday in floods, house collapses and lightning.

Indian Army soldiers sailed with food and medicines to scores of villages around Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh.

"Our priority was to get relief to reach the affected. We have distributed already 1,300 quintals and 1,000 packets of relief material. We are also running a medical camp here," said Major A.K. Gupta, head of a relief and rescue group.

Thousands have been marooned by floodwaters, as rivers continued to be in spate. Low lying villages on the banks of Saryu River were submerged on Saturday.

At least 105 people have died in house-related collapses, lightning and boat tragedies as heavy rains lashed the state. Several thousands have been affected as 1,100 villages were marooned of the over 2,000 affected by floods in 20 districts.

ANI
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