RAJKOT: Torrential rains that have battered Gujarat, especially Saurashtra, have claimed 18 lives in two days since Monday, most of the victims being struck by lightning.
For the second consecutive day, monsoon fury crippled normal life in Saurashtra Rajkot, Amreli, Morbi, and Surendranagar districts, where overflowing rivers, submerged internal roads, and emergency water releases from dams forced authorities to issue alerts for downstream villages.
The situation in Botad district was particularly grim, with Gadhada and Botad talukas receiving a combined 632 mm of rainfall in the 24 hours ending 6 am Tuesday. In neighbouring Bhavnagar district, Palitana and Jesar talukas were pounded with a staggering 867 mm in the same period.
On Tuesday, a meeting of Weather Watch Group was also held at the State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC) where officials from the IMD presented a detailed forecast of heavy to very heavy rainfall across Gujarat over the next week.
A massive search and rescue operation was undertaken in Lathidad village of Botad taluka after an Eco car carrying nine people was swept away in the turbulent floodwaters. The operation that began on Monday night continued till Tuesday.
On Monday, two were rescued while as many bodies were recovered on Tuesday. Search for the remaining five continued into the night amid heavy rainfall that brought life to a standstill across several districts. "Nine people from Vinchhiya were coming to Botad when their car got trapped in turbulent waters," said Botad deputy SP Maharashi Raval.
In Amreli's Rajula taluka, a car was swept off a flooded bridge near Utiya-Rajparda. One body was recovered from the vehicle.
Emergency rescue operations were also launched in Gadhada town, where 10–12 people were trapped. Meanwhile, in a nearby farm, six labourers—three men, two women, and a child—were rescued after being stranded overnight. In Barvala taluka of Botad, which recorded 191 mm of rainfall in just 12 hours, 40 people were evacuated from flood-hit villages and shifted to a govt school as water levels suddenly surged.
The NDRF also rescued 18 farm labourers of two families trapped in the orchard area of Pipaliya village of Gadhada taluka. They were working at different spots in the fields when the water levels swelled rapidly.
Twenty two people were brought out safely from the low-lying areas of Surendranagar as waters of Bhogavo river gushed into their homes.
With more rainfall forecast, the govt announced the closure of all schools in Bhavnagar and Botad districts on Wednesday as a precautionary measure.
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