9 killed in rain-related incidents in UP; schools in several districts to remain closed on Monday

Heavy rains lashed several parts of Uttar Pradesh on Sunday, claiming at least nine lives and throwing common life out of gear.

Authorities of a dozen districts, including Lucknow, Aligarh, Meerut, Gautam Buddh Nagar, and Ghaziabad, ordered closure of schools on Monday in the wake of heavy rains. In Aligarh, all schools up to class 12 will remain closed till October 12, officials said

As per India Meteorological Department (IMD), the state recorded an average of 22.5 mm rainfall on Sunday, which is 2396 per cent more than the 'long period average' (LPA) for the day. Since October 1, the state has recorded 92.3 mm rainfall which is 500 per cent more than the LPA of 14.4mm.

IMD officials have issued forecast of more rains across the state in the next 24 hours.

In Gorakhpur, two persons were killed when a boat capsized in Rapti river. The deceased were identified as Baliram Singh and Brijesh Yadav, said A K Singh, Superintendent of Police, Gorakhpur (South).

In Ghaziabad, a 90-year-old woman was killed after a house collapsed due to rains, police said. The incident occurred at around 11 am on Sunday.

“One Shakuntala Devi, a resident of Akalpur village under Masuri police station area, was killed after being buried under the rubble of a dilapidated house,” SP (Rural) Iran Raja told PTI.

In Hardoi, two farmers were killed after being struck by lightning. Additional District Magistrate Vandana Trivedi said, "In Sawayjpur tehsil, farmer Rajendra Singh Chauhan was killed after being struck by lightning. In a similar incident, Muniraj (24) and Chatrapal (35) of Rampur Mishra village under Pali police station limits were hit by lightning. Muniraj was killed while Chatrapal was injured."

In Sitapur district, an 11-year-old girl was killed after being struck by lightning. According to police, the deceased was identified as Mahak from Autrauli village.

In Etawah, a police officer said that one Mula Devi (75) of Jaunpur village was killed after being hit by lightning.

In Bulandshahr, a 14-year-old boy was killed and several others were injured in three incidents of house collapse caused due to heavy rains. According to local authorities, Pawan (14), Guddu (12), Nisha (18), Shalu (14) and Lalu (13) were buried under rubble when a temporary wall fell on them in Maharajpur area. While the neighbours recovered the children, Pawan was declared dead by doctors at a hospital, police said.

At least six others were injured in similar incidents reported from Dibai and Usadpur areas of the district.

In Balrampur, two teenagers were swept away in flood waters. Body of one of the boys, Zishan (16), has been recovered while efforts are on to search for the other, said Circle Officer Radha Raman Singh.

The traffic movement on Balrampur-Badhri National Highway 730 was affected after it was inundated by floodwater. As per district officials, standing crops in several thousand hectares have been flooded by rainwater in villages falling under Balrampur tehsil.

District Magistrate Mahendra Kumar has appealed to villagers living in low-lying areas to vacate their houses and move to shelters. SDRF teams have also been pressed to oversee the rescue efforts.

In Mathura, a Rajasthan state road transport bus carrying passengers was stuck at the railway underpass. The fire department came to rescue of the passengers.

Chief Fire Officer Pramod Kumar Sharma said, “A team was sent to the spot to assist the passengers and remove the bus. All passengers were rescued and the bus was pulled out of the underpass with help of a crane.”

The flooding has also affected daily life in Bahraich district. District Magistrate Dinesh Chandra Singh told reporters, “Flood-like situation has been reported in 60 villages of Nanpara and Mihipurva tehsils due to excess rains. The villagers have been safely shifted to flood shelters.”

The DM added that traffic movement on NH-927 connecting Bahraich to Lakhimpur Kheri has been stopped after a bridge on the highway was damaged in Gaighat area due to heavy rains.