Gujarat rains | Six dead as heavy showers continue; over 27,000 evacuated

CM Bhupendra Patel visits rain-hit areas

Heavy downpour continued in various parts of Gujarat on Tuesday and six people died in rain-related incidents in the last 24 hours, raising the toll to 69 since June 1, officials said.

A total of 27,896 people were evacuated from flood-affected areas and 18,225 of them remained in shelters while the others have returned home, Gujarat Disaster Management Minister Rajendra Trivedi said.

Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel visited the rain-hit Bodeli town in Chhota Udepur district and also conducted an aerial inspection of some flood-affected areas, his office said.

While heavy rains continue to lash districts in south Gujarat since the last few days, parts of Kutch and Rajkot in the Saurashtra region also witnessed heavy showers since Monday night, officials said.

According to the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC), Anjar taluka in Kutch received 167 mm rainfall in six hours since 6.00 a.m. on Tuesday, while Gandhidham taluka in the district got 145 mm rainfall.

Narmada, Surat, Dang, Valsad and Tapi districts of south Gujarat, and Panchmahal and Chhota Udepur in central part of the state witnessed heavy rains over the last one day.

The India Meteorological Department has issued a 'red alert' for heavy to very heavy rains in Valsad, Navsari, Surat, Tapi, Dang, Narmada, Chhota Udepur districts, as well as Kutch, Rajkot, Jamnagar, Devbhumi Dwarka and Morbi in the Saurashtra region till Wednesday morning.