4 of family among 5 dead, over 2,000 evacuated as floods wreak havoc in Bastar region

Raipur, Aug 27 (PTI) Five persons died, while more than 2,000 people have been evacuated to safety after incessant rains triggered flash floods and inundated vast areas in four districts of Chhattisgarh's Bastar region, a government official said on Wednesday.

Floods have claimed five lives -- four of them from one family -- killed 17 livestock, partially damaged 165 houses and completely destroyed 86 others in Bastar, Dantewada, Sukma and Bijapur districts where downpour in the last two days led several rivers and rivulets to flow in spate, thereby disrupting the normal life.

Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, currently on a visit to South Korea, directed officials to intensify rescue and relief operations in flood-affected districts, stressing people's safety remains the government's top priority, an official statement said.

Revenue Secretary and Relief Commissioner Reena Babasaheb Kangale informed that 43 relief camps have been set up across the four affected districts, where 2,196 flood-hit people have been shifted.

These included 1,116 people in Dantewada, 790 in Sukma, 170 in Bastar and 120 in Bijapur, she said.

In the affected districts, rescue work is being carried out by Home Guard and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) personnel, she said.

Food has been arranged for people staying in relief camps. The Revenue and Disaster Management Department is in constant touch with the districts in view of the flood situation and necessary support is being provided, Kangale informed.

In Sukma district, 'Aapda Mitras' (volunteers who respond to natural disasters) have been helping the administration deal with the flood situation, stated the senior bureaucrat.

A couple and their two daughters died after the car they were travelling in got swept away while crossing a flooded culvert in Bastar district, officials said.

Another person drowned in an overflowing stream in Bijapur district, they said.

The CM has instructed district administrations to ensure timely provision of food, medical aid and essential supplies to those staying in camps, said the official release.

He also directed immediate assistance to villages cut off due to flooding and ordered their round-the-clock monitoring from disaster control rooms, it said.

According to the Disaster Management Department, continuous torrential rainfall has disrupted normal life across the four districts.

Among them, Dantewada recorded the highest rainfall at 93.7 mm on August 26 and 118.4 mm on August 27, followed by Sukma (35 mm and 109.3 mm), Bijapur (34.9 mm and 50.2 mm) and Bastar (67.3 mm and 121.3 mm), leaving 25 villages inundated, it said.

Expressing grief over the loss of lives and property, Sai assured that immediate financial assistance will be provided to affected families and rehabilitation will be taken up on priority.

"The administration and relief teams must remain active and ensure every needy person receives timely help," Sai said, appealing to citizens to follow official advisories and contact local control rooms in case of emergency.

"With collective efforts of the administration and people, we will overcome this disaster and restore normal life in the affected areas at the earliest," he added.

Some bridges and culverts were also damaged in Dantewada district due to floods. PTI TKP COR NR RSY