Rajasthan rains: 4 children die after drowning in pit in Jodhpur

Jaipur, July 26: Four children, including a girl, drowned in a pit filled with rainwater in Jodhpur in Rajasthan on Tuesday following floods due to heavy rain.

The deceased have been identified as Anita (15), Sanju (16), Pintu (12) and Kishore (12) in Gawariyon ki Dhani under Bhopalgarh subdivision of Jodhpur Tuesday afternoon, according to a report on PTI.

Photo Credit: People wade through a waterlogged street at a residential area after heavy monsoon rains

Five children were bathing in the pit when they slipped into deep waters. While four of them drowned, one managed to come out and raised an alarm, but it was too late, the officer told the PTI.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot mourned the death of the four children. He tweeted that the family of each deceased will be given Rs 5 lakh under Chiranjeevi Accident insurance scheme, adding that the child who survived will be give an assistance amount of Rs 20,000 from chief minister's relief fund.

He also appealed to people to stay alert in the monsoon season.

On Tuesday, heavy to very heavy rainfall created flood-like situations in Jodhpur, Bhilwara and Chittorgarh districts of Rajasthan, inundating roads and railway tracks.

Due to the inclement weather, the northern western railway (NWR) cancelled seven trains, partially cancelled six trains and diverted two others. Many areas in these districts were waterlogged due to two incidents of vehicles being swept away in rainwater were reported. One being a two-wheeler in Tonk and the other a car in Jodhpur.

From July 28-29, there is a possibility of a gradual decrease in monsoon activities in some parts of the state, MeT centre director Radheyshyam Sharma said. The trains that were cancelled due to inundation of railway tracks were Jodhpur-Jaisalmer, Jaisalmer-Jodhpur, Jodhpur-Bhopal, Bhopal-Jodhpur, Jodhpur-Barmer, Jodhpur-Hisar and Hisar-Bikaner trains, a NWR spokesperson said.

In Bhilwara, a portion of a building collapsed in Azad Nagar, injuring a 55-year-old woman who was trapped underneath the debris and was rescued by a team of the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF). Bhilwara witnessed extremely heavy rains at 21 cm in the 24-hour period ending 8.30 am on Tuesday.

According to the MeT department, heavy to very heavy rains lashed several parts of Chittorgarh, Jaipur, Ajmer, Sawai Madhopur, Rajsamand, Dungarpur, Banswara, Kota, Sirohi, Jodhpur, Pali, Nagaur and Jalore districts during this period.

Followed by Bhilwara was Chittorgarh which received 18 cm of rainfall, a MeT official said.

Meanwhile, till Tuesday evening, Jalore recorded 215.5 mm of rainfall, followed by Phalodi in Jodhpur at 58.4 mm. Gehlot said due to the sudden rainfall, many areas in Jodhpur are facing waterlogging, informing that he is in constant touch with the district collector. "Directions have been issued to the district administration to remain alert and get prepared to handle any situation," he said in a tweet.

A meteorological department official said, at present, there is a circulation system over eastern Rajasthan, which will have its effect in the districts of Ajmer, Jodhpur and Udaipur divisions for the next 48 hours.