Over 50 perish in incessant rains across north India

Most casualties occurred in Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh where major rivers crossed danger marks and flooded nearby villages rendering hundreds of people homeless. Life in the national capital was also affected as the sudden downpour caused water logging and traffic disruptions.

Incessant rains claimed 41 more lives in the hill state Uttarakhand as the death toll in rains-related incidents since yesterday touched 60.

Many more people were believed to be still trapped under the debris of landslides as authorities sought the help of army and paramilitary forces to carry out rescue operations.

All educational institutions are closed for three days as Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank asked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to declare the state as disaster-affected and provide maximum assistance.

Torrential rains also battered Uttar Pradesh where 12 people perished in wall collapse incidents mainly in Hardoi district. Water level in all major rivers rose alarmingly as a flood situation prevailed in many parts of the state.

The Lucknow-Delhi highway was closed after it was flooded near Moradabad district. Kalagarh Bijnore received the maximum rainfall of 124.4 mm in the state.

Delhiites woke up to drizzles which soon turned into heavy intermittent showers as the rain gauges measured 43.mm in just two hours from 8.30 am.

Rains led to water logging in many localities like Bhogal, Ashram, parts of Mathura Road and Defence Colony and various areas in the walled city.

The rains also brought the mercury down to 23.1 degree Celsius, a notch below normal. The humidity was recorded between 66 per cent and 96 per cent. The city, which is gearing up to host the Commonwealth Games in just two weeks, did not have heavy rains for the last five days.

In Haryana, swollen Yamuna is posing a danger to people living in villages near its banks following heavy rains at catchment areas of the river in neighbouring Himachal Pradesh.
The heavy inflow of water forced authorities to release around three lakh cusecs water from Hathni Kund barrage, posing threats to areas like Yamunanagar, Ambala, Karnal, Panipat, Sonepat district and outer areas of Delhi.

The situation is also bad in Ludhiana, Ropar, Patiala and Anandpur Sahib in Punjab as Sutlej was in spate in the wake of heavy rains in upper hills in Himachal Pradesh.