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Heavy rains, floods kill over 50 in West Bengal

Roads in Central Kolkata such as Amherst Street assumed a river-like appearance from the cloud outburst.

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A depression was formed over Jharkhand and adjoining Gangetic West Bengal.

With nine more deaths being reported from different districts on Sunday, the death toll from rains and floods climbed over 50.

Buildings with weak structures collapsed in several areas, including in the city, due to overnight downpour.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had on Friday evening put the death count at 39 but relentless widespread rain on Saturday led to at least eight fatalities in the districts. Today, it’s 70 per cent excess rainfall, she said. Speaking to reporters at the new State secretariat Nabanna in Howrah, she said: “About 33,000 people across the State have been shifted to 700 relief shelters”.

The chief minister said Murshidabad, Hooghly, Burdwan, Howrah were the worst affected districts.

The police and railways had been asked to ensure there are no blockades, as it would hinder relief work.

The rains triggered by the cyclone Komen crippled normal life in Kolkata, hitting the train services.

So far 1574 people have been evacuated to safer places.

Railway tracks under the Eastern Railway continued to be submerged in some areas, while airport runways also remained inundated for the second consecutive day.

Rainfall would occur at many places over sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Bihar and Sikkim, with heavy rainfall at isolated places, during the next 24 hours, it said.

A landslide has buried an entire village, killing 20 in Manipur, India, near the Myanmar border.

In London on a five-day visit to foster ties between West Bengal and Britain as well as explore possibilities of foreign investment in the state, she was originally slated to return on Friday.

According to an Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) release here, heavy to very heavy rain might occur at isolated places of Purulia, Bankura, Birbhum, Bardhaman, Howrah, East and West Midnapur districts of Gangetic West Bengal.

In Rajasthan, 28 people have lost their lives, out of which 12 people died during past few days owing to very heavy rainfall and flood like situation in many parts of the state.

Banerjee instructed a number of ministers and senior officials to visit the affected areas and supervise relief arrangement.

“All the major rivers in the state are flowing below the danger level”.

Apart from State Disaster Response Force, Police, RAC etc., at present eight teams of NDRF were deployed for rescue and relief operations.

In Myanmar, 15 have been killed due to the floods and 1,50,000 people have been affected.

50 kms north of Bhuj in Kutch district of Gujarat. Crop over an area of 4,72,645 hectares was damaged due to the floods.

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32 children had to be evacuated on foot.

Kolkata rain