Three people swept away due to heavy rain

Three persons were swept away in swollen drains after heavy rains in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, while the India Meteorological Department predicted a risk of flash floods in the Vidarbha region, officials said on Thursday.

Some rivers in the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra were flooded after heavy showers and several people from Bhandara and Chandrapur were shifted to safer places, they said.The heavy rains also caused damage to crops and an assessment survey was on, an agriculture depart

Motorist travel amid a drizzle in Pune.

ment official said. In Indore city of MP, two persons were swept away in swollen drains following heavy rains and efforts were on to trace them, police said.

Chandan Nagar police station in-charge Abhay Nema said local residents informed them that a man, Zakir Khan (24), accidentally fell into a drain in Sirpur area of the city on Wednesday afternoon when he was trying to stop other people from entering the water body. On Wednesday night, a woman, Durga Jaiswal (26), was swept away in an overflowing drain in Banganga area.

“The woman lived in a house close to the drain. While throwing garbage from the rooftop of her house, she lost balance and fell into the drain,” Banganga police station in-charge Rajendra Soni said.

Efforts were on to trace the two persons, the police said. A MeT official said the rain intensity reduced in Indore in the last 24 hours, after heavy downpour on Tuesday.

In Gondia district of Maharashtra, an SUV carrying three persons was swept away in a swollen drain at Kidangipaar on Wednesday night, district disaster management officer Rajan Choubey said.

Two persons were later rescued, while efforts were on to trace the third, he said. In Nagpur, Regional Meteorological Centre scientist Dr Praveen Kumar said there was a “moderate risk of flash floods” in next 24 hours in a few areas of Vidarbha districts like Nagpur, Amravati, Wardha, Gadchiroli, Gondia, Chandrapur and Yavatmal.