6 killed, close shave for bus passengers as rain lashes Gujarat

Mansukh Solanki (58) was swept away in Vasavadi river at Vasavad village in Gondal taluka when he was trying to cross a flooded causeway. A team of fire brigade from Gondal found his bady after a thorough search.

Passengers on board a Pavagadh-bound bus of the Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation (GSRTC) had a close shave as the bus was left stranded in a flooded underbridge on Umvada road of Gondal town in Rajkot following heavy rain.

The bus was on its way from Gondal to Pavagadh on Thursday morning when the incident happened. However, passengers were rescued and the bus was salvaged from floodwaters with the help of excavators. Later in the afternoon, an ambulance was also stranded in the same underbridge, forcing authorities to close the flooded bridge to vehicular traffic.

50-year-old Punaben Vasava, a resident of Sharda village in Surat’s Umarpada taluka, was swept away in the village causeway flooded with rainwater. The body could not be found till the time of filing of this report.

Fifty-five-year-old Kantubhai Patel, a resident of Vaheval village in Surat’s Mahuva taluka, drowned while fishing.

Labhuben Mudasiya (70), resident of Vadiya taluka in Amreli district, reportedly died due to short circuit at her home.

Mahesh Dahyabhai Patel, resident of Gandevi taluka in Navsari district, drowned in the Ambika river. Search operations to find his body were still on.

Rasulbhai Ninama, 60, resident of Tarsai village in Jamnagar, was swept away in rainwater when he was crossing the bridge over flooded Bileshwar river in the village.

On Wednesday, Dariyaben Gohil, 55, of Halol taluka’s Hirapur village in Panchmahal was also swept away in a flooded causway and drowned.

Six persons were rescued from a private car that got stuck in rainwater on the Thara-Harij-Totana road in Banaskantha district post midnight on August 12.

Also, 51 people were evacuated from Talavadi area in Bardoli in Surat when rain water flooded the area. Another 64 persons were evacuated from Jodiya taluka in Jamnagar district from EWS housing society after it was flooded with rainwater.

As the Southwest monsoon was vigorous over the state, Saurashtra’s Lakhtar taluka in Surendranagar received the highest of 8.3 inch rainfall on Thursday, followed by Wadhwan taluka that recorded 5.11 inch rainfall.

On Thursday, 228 talukas out of 251 in the state received rainfall of which Surendranagar, Surat, Anand, Morbi, Kheda, Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Chhota Udepur, Jamnagar, Patan, Narmada, Botad, Panchmanahl, Bharuch, Sabarkantha, Vadodara, Dang and Tapi were worse affected.

Extremely heavy rainfall occurred in several districts of South Gujarat in the last 24 hours, till Thursday evening. Tapi river was seen overflowing though no casualties were reported.

The India Meteorological Department has issued forecast of heavy rainfall in the state till August 18 attributing this to several systems including ‘morning’s cyclonic circulation over South Gujarat and neighbourhood’ along with ‘cyclonic circulation over South Pakistan and adjoining West Rajasthan’ and ‘low pressure area over Northwest Bay of Bengal off north Odisha and West Bengal coasts along with associated cyclonic circulation’.

Fishermen warned

Squally weather with wind speeds reaching 45 – 55 kmph (up to 65 kmph in gust), sea will be high along and off North and South Gujarat Coasts and adjoining North East Arabian Sea from August 14 to 17, warned the IMD. Fishermen are advised not to venture along and off North and South Gujarat coast and adjoining North East Arabian Sea from August 13 to 17.

Dip in temperature

The rainfall and winds have resulted in a major decline in temperatures across the state.