Hospitals, houses flooded in Patna; 110 dead in 4 days

New Delhi : Nearly 110 people died in rain-related incidents across the country in the past four days, with Uttar Pradesh reporting the maximum deaths, while incessant rainfall in Bihar has badly hit normal life, with almost all areas of capital city Patna under knee-deep waters and people struggling to meet their daily needs.

Several state-run hospitals including the Nalanda Medical College and Hospital, which is one of the largest in Patna, were flooded. Videos shared on social media showed patients sitting on beds in flooded hospital rooms. To evacuate people, 32 boats have been pressed into service in parts of the city.

In what the weather department said could be the longest delayed withdrawal of Monsoon, rains continued to lash several states including Bihar, where at least 13 people have died over the past 48 hours, while large swathes were inundated, affecting railway traffic, healthcare services, schools and disrupting power supply. In Uttar Pradesh, at least 79 people have died since Thursday.

According to a state government report, 25 people died on Saturday, 18 lost their lives on Friday and 36 the day before. In Gujarat, three women drowned after their car was swept away at a flooded causeway in Rajkot district on Sunday following heavy rains in several parts of Saurashtra region, officials said.

As many as 13 deaths were also reported on Saturday from Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan in incidents triggered by heavy rains. Meanwhile, IMD Director General Mritunjay Mohapatra said on Sunday that the four-month monsoon season which is officially ending on Monday is unlikely to withdraw even till the weekend.

The IMD said active monsoon still prevails over parts of Rajasthan, Bihar and UP. In hard-hit Bihar, a bird's eye view of state capital Patna made the city appear like a huge lake dotted with concrete structures. Posh low-lying areas like Rajendra Nagar and Pataliputra Colony are flooded.

Private hospitals, medical stores and other shops were submerged in waist-deep water. While people waded through the waterlogged streets, boats of NDRF were also out in some areas of the city rescuing residents.

According to the weather department, the state capital has received more than 200 mm of rainfall since Friday evening, which Disaster Management Department Principal Secretary Pratyay Amrit described as "totally unexpected".

In Kolkata also, several streets have been waterlogged due to heavy rains. In J&K, a 54-year-old sub inspector of the BSF is suspected to have drowned in a swollen river along the International Border (IB) in Jammu, officials said on Sunday.