Flood situation grim in UP, toll at 278

Lucknow, Jul 26 (UNI) Even as there was lull in rainfall in almost all parts of Uttar Pradesh since yesterday, deluge continues to play havoc in the state by breaching several dams and claiming 16 lives in rain-related incidents in the last 24 hours taking the toll to 278.

The fresh casualties were reported from Basti, Gorakhpur, Maharajganj, Deoria, Sant Kabirnagar, Siddharthnagar, Kushinagar, Sultanpur, Lakhimpur, Balrampur and Sitapur, where people succumbed in house collapse and drowning incidents in swelled rivers. Official reports today said cracks had developed at 110 mtr radius of 5.8 km long Saifabad Kalvari dam at the river Ghaghra in Basti, whereas the raging river had breached half of the Rampur Makdumpur dam.

In Sant Kabirnagar and Siddharthnagar, Karmaini dam on river Rapti was badly damaged, while water had also started seeping into the villages due to the cracks in Prajapati Kalyan Patti and Varparva dams and had submerged nearly 2,000 villages.

According to official reports, flood had affected Siddharthnagar the most, where nearly 600 villages submerged under the water of river Gorra, Ghoghi and Rapti.

About 38 relief and rescue centres had been made and 139 boats were pressed into service in the disaster-hit area.

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