Rain unabated in UP, Kerala

Monsoon fury: Death toll rises to 118, more showers expected

Uttar Pradesh and Kerala continue to reel under heavy rains with inundation and swelling rivers claiming lives and displacing many people.

In Kerala, at least 15 met department stations recorded excessive rains on Thursday. The body of one of two missing persons was recovered on Thursday, raising the death toll in the state to 118 since the onset of monsoon on June 1.

While a road near the  Kakkayam dam in Kozhikode was destroyed in a minor landslide, torrential rain damaged several houses in Malappuram and Kasaragod districts. Malappuram has also been facing rough seas since June.

The rainfall was even across the state with northern, central and southern parts of the state experiencing heavy downpour.

Vadakara in Kozhikode district recorded 12 cm rainfall, whereas Haripad, Kayankulam, Thalassery, Kannur, Irikkur, Mavelikkara and Kollam also recorded heavy rainfall.  Rainfall remained moderate in Palakkad and Thiruvananthapuram districts.

Mankombu in Kuttanad recorded 8 cm rain on Thursday as continued downpour for more than a month has resulted in destruction of cultivated land in the region. Regions in upper Kuttanad submerged in waters are yet to find respite.

Meanwhile in Uttar Pradesh, rivers swelled further and displaced more people as rains continue to lash the state. With four more deaths reported in the last 24 hours, the number of people died in the floods has reached 120.

Major rivers, including the Ganga, Yamuna, Ghaghra and the Rapti continued to rise and were flowing above the danger mark at several places, according to the official sources here on Thursday.

Bansi in Basti district received the maximum of 99 mm rainfall followed by Sitapur and Allahabad districts that recorded 80 mm of rainfall. Varanasi and Amethi districts are also hit by heavy rains in the last 24 hours.

Companies of the provincial arms constabulary (PAC) have been pressed into service at many places to rescue marooned people. At least 13 districts of the state had been badly hit by the floods, officials said.

The Met department has predicted more rain for the next 24 hours.