Over 650 villages in 15 Uttar Pradesh districts hit by floods

Over 650 villages in 15 districts of Uttar Pradesh are affected by floods and 384 of them have been cut off from other parts of the state, an official said on Friday.

The Sharda river at Lakhimpur Kheri's Palliakalan and the Saryu at Barabanki's Elgin Bridge, Ayodhya and Ballia's Turtipar are flowing above the danger mark, Relief Commissioner Sanjay Goyal told reporters.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed officials to ensure cleaning and cutting of bushes near relief camps to prevent people from incidents of snakebites, Goyal said.

"A total of 674 villages in the 15 districts are affected and 384 of these villages have got marooned," he said.

The 15 districts hit by the deluge are Ambedkar Nagar, Ayodhya, Azamgarh, Bahraich, Ballia, Barabanki, Basti, Deoria, Gonda, Gorakhpur, Kheri, Kushinagar, Mau, Sant Kabir Nagar and Sitapur.

Till Thursday, the floods had affected 16 districts in the state.