19 killed in Gujarat as incessant rains lash state

At least 19 people are reported to have been killed in the last 24 hours due to incessant rain in Gujarat.

After reviewing the situation arising due to heavy rain, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani told reporters in Gandhinagar on Saturday that nearly 60% reservoirs have been filled to their capacity while the state has received nearly 80% monsoon rain this season by Saturday evening.

He said that 17 dams are overflowing.

The chief minister said that eight people were killed in Ahmedabad and Nadiad while three persons died in different places in the state due to rain related incidents.

According to fire officers, four persons died in Ahmedabad's Bopal area in a wall collapse and while, in Nadiad four died after a building collapsed reportedly due to heavy rains.

Later in the day, eight labourers were killed after a compound wall collapsed on Kandla bypass road in Morbi town. Police officers who rushed to the spot said that four others had sustained inquires.

According to Rupani, nearly 6,000 people have been shifted from low-lying areas to safe places. He said that most of the rivers are flowing over the danger mark and local administrations have been alerted to remain vigilant.