12 killed as rains continue to lash India's Gujarat state

NEW DELHI, July 2 (Xinhua) -- A dozen people died and lives of many have been adversely affected due to rains and floods-related incidents in India's western state of Gujarat over the past days, local media reported on Sunday.

Among the victims were six people who died in the Jamnagar district alone. Other deaths were reported from Amreli, Botad and Anand.

Low-lying areas in Jamnagar were inundated and people left marooned as their houses have been flooded over the past days. The Visavadar area in Jamnagar district reportedly received as much as 349 mm of rainfall on Friday, said a media report.

There have been reports of collapsed houses and bridges as rivers continue to flow above the danger mark in Gujarat due to incessant rains.

Considering the grim situation in the state, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel has been keeping a constant vigil over the relief and rescue operations being carried out in the flood-affected areas, particularly in Jamnagar, Junagadh and Kutch districts of the state.

Local administration officials have been ordered to shift people from low-lying areas to safer places, said media reports.

Meanwhile, rains continue to lash other parts of the country as well, mainly the hilly areas in the northern states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

In its latest weather forecast, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said heavy to very-heavy rainfall was very likely to occur in Uttarakhand state on July 1-5.

A red alert of extremely heavy rains has been issued in the popular tourist destination of Nainital in Uttarakhand.

Incidents of landslides were reported from parts of Himachal Pradesh state, as rains continued to lash those areas. As a result of landslides, many vehicles were damaged and tourists stranded in some parts of the state as roads remained closed for traffic.