Four die, 6 bridges damaged as rains lash Jharkhand

Jamshedpur (Jharkhand), Aug 13: Incessant rains since Wednesday have affected normal life in Palamau and Chatra districts snuffing out four lives and damaging six bridges, officials said.

While two children drowned in Chatra district, bodies of two women were found in Palamau district.

Deputy Commissioner of Chatra, Sandeep Singh, said areas like Huntergunj, Jori Kala and Ganghri were affected badly and two children identified as Vyas Kumar of Jori Kala and Gayatri Kumari of Ganghri were washed away.

Four bridges on Huntergunj-Kauleshwari main road, Jori- Pratapur main road, Chatra-Gaya NH 99 and Heru dam were damaged, but the situation was under control, he said.

Singh told reporters that an NDRF team has reached Chatra to launch rescue operations. The team would stay in the district for the next two days and keep a vigil on the situation.

The administration has been shifting affected people to safer places and alerting people living in low-lying areas through public address system, Singh said. The Met department has predicted of heavy rains today and tomorrow.

Meanwhile, bodies of two women were recovered from Amanat river in Panki block in Palamau district, said Sub-Divisional Magistrate of Medininagar, Arun Kumar Ekka.

Portions of two bridges over North Koel river at Utari road and Tarhasi-Amanat in Palamu district caved in, Deputy Commissioner Amit Kumar said.

The water level in the river was swelling owing to incessant rains and sub-divisional magistrates of Hussainabad and Medininagar were asked to inspect the damages and submit a report in this regard, he said.

Road connectivity between Palamau district and Bihar was cut off as water of the Durgawati river washed away the road near an under-construction bridge on NH 75, Ekka said.

The East Singhbhum district administration has also sounded alert owing the heavy rains in and around the steel city of Jamshedpur.

"We have been monitoring water levels in Kharkhai and Swarnarekha rivers, which was currently flowing below danger mark, said Sub-Divisional Officer (Dalbhum), Suraj Kumar.

The district administration has authorities of Mayurbhanj district of Odisha to inform it at least eight hours before, in case they release water from Bankabal dam, to allow time to shift people from flood-prone areas.

PTI