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41 dead in Bengal floods

Indian Air Force helicopters air dropped food packets for the second day today as the toll in heavy rainfall and subsequent floods in 15 West Bengal districts mounted to 41. More than five million people were affected by heavy rains, reports said.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Jyoti Basu urged the political parties and the people in general to help the state administration tide over the calamity. He urged the people to be vigilant against price rise and said the administration had taken up relief and rescue operations on a war footing.

Of the districts, Bardhaman accounted for a maximum of 14 deaths. While nine people, including four members of a family, had been washed away by the swirling Ajay river at Mangalkot, five people died in house collapses in the district, a report received in Calcutta said.

Midnapore, Birbhum and Murshidabad districts accounted for five deaths each, followed by Calcutta (four), Nadia (three), Bankura, North 24 Parganas and South 24 Parganas (two each) and Hooghly and Howarah (one each). Most of these victims died in incidents of house collapse, electrocution and snake bites.

According to preliminary reports, the overall damage in the deluge had been estimated at Rs 15,000 million. The state government had demanded immediate release of Rs 2500 million from the National Calamity Relief Fund. Most of the rivers in the affected districts were in spate following heavy rainfall and subsequent discharge of water from the reservoirs in the state and neighbouring Bihar.

The mighty Ajay river breached its embankment at five places in Bardhaman and Birbhum districts inundating vast areas of human habitation and agricultural land. The Ajay and the Mayurakshi had overtopped at two places in Birbhum and Murshidabad districts submerging large areas of the two districts. A report from Midnapore said the Kangsabati river had breached its embankment at Debra, Panskura and Ghatal inundating vast areas and affecting more than 400,000 people.

UNI

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