718 dead in rains, floods in this monsoon

New Delhi: As many as 718 people have lost their lives in incidents related to floods and rains in seven states during the monsoon season so far, the Home Ministry said today.

According to the ministry’s National Emergency Response Centre (NERC), 171 people lost their lives in Uttar Pradesh, 170 people died in West Bengal, 178 perished in Kerala and 139 died in Maharashtra. Gujarat saw 52 deaths, while 44 died in Assam and eight perished in Nagaland.

A total of 26 people were also missing in Kerala (21) and West Bengal (5) while 244 others received injuries in rain-related incidents in the states.

The deluge and rains have hit 26 districts in Maharashtra, 22 in West Bengal, 23 in Assam, 14 in Kerala, 12 in Uttar Pradesh, 11 Nagaland and 10 in Gujarat. In Assam, 11.45 lakh people have borne the brunt of rains and floods, which also hit crops in 27,552 hectres of land.

Altogether 15 teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are engaged in rescue and relief operations in Assam, the NERC said. A team of the NDRF comprises 45 personnel.

Eight NDRF teams were deployed in Uttar Pradesh, eight in West Bengal, seven in Gujarat, four each in Kerala and Maharashtra and one in Nagaland.