Gujarat flood fury: Bodies of 17 of a family found; death toll rises to 111

PALANPUR/AHMEDABAD: Receding flood waters in Banaskantha revealed a massive tragedy in Khariya village of Kankrej taluka on Wednesday when bodies of 17 members of a family were recovered from the banks of Banas River. Villagers watched in disbelief as the bodies were recovered one after another from the muck.
Sources said that more bodies of people swept away in the last three days are likely to surface as waters recede.
The death toll in the week-long monsoon fury in the state has touched 111.
Two Army columns, three NDRF teams and one BSF team, aided by 10 Air Force choppers, are engaged in the rescue and relief operations in Banaskantha alone.
On Wednesday, around 460 more people were rescued in various parts of Banaskantha district by various agencies.
Two choppers, four NDRF teams and two BSF teams and two Army columns have been deployed in the adjoining Patan district that has been also ravaged by floods.
At least 500 medical professionals including doctors, paramedics and health workers have fanned out across the district to survey the flood-hit areas and distribute chlorine tablets, ORS packets to ensure that there is no outbreak of any epidemic.
Medical staff from other districts have also been deployed in Banaskantha to speed up the efforts.
Though waters receded in Dhanera town, one of the worst-hit in Banaskantha, people witnessed the trail of destruction left behind by the nature’s fury. Sacks of grains rendered useless were lying on the road and people struggled to remove waters from their house.