Rajkot: Heavy rain batters Saurashtra, three dead

RAJKOT: Torrential rain battered several parts of Saurashtra region, leaving at least three persons dead and several villages and towns heavily waterlogged due to flash floods in local rivers and rivulets.
A man and his two sons drowned in a lake in Lamdhara village near Una of Gir-Somnath district. The man had gone to fetch water and slipped into the lake amid heavy rain.His two sons, who were accompanying him, dived in to save him, but they also drowned, police said. They were identified as Bhopa Galchar and his two sons Bhima and Pala.
In another incident, a 32-year-old man identified as Ashok Solanki of Kutiyana taluka in Porbandar district, went missing while his friend Chandu Solanki (35) was rescued after their bike got swept away in flash flood near Kodva village of Manavadar taluka of Junagadh district. The duo was on their way to Kutiyana from Manavadar. Manvadar on Sunday recorded 124 mm rainfall.
Rajkot city came to a grinding halt in just 50 mm rainfall between 2pm to 4pm as most of the underbridges were flooded and several areas waterlogged. Vehicles submerged in rain water Popatpara as the area was heavily flooded.
Rail Nagar area was practically disconnected from the other parts of the city owing to the waterlogging and brimming underbridges.
Jamnagar's Kalavad received 98 mm rainfall on Sunday. Locals say that villages in Jodiya taluka of Jamnagar district saw extremely heavy rainfall since Saturday night and it caused flooding on the state highway connecting Jamnagar with Kandla port. The highway was closed for vehicular traffic because of flooding on the road.
An earthmover sunk into a causeway on Fuljher River near Chhattar village of Kalavad taluka in Jamnagar. The driver of earthmover is missing.
Five gates of Aji Dam 2 were opened three foot due to heavy rain in the catchment area. Connection to several villages of Lodhika taluka were cut off due to incessant rain and flooding on the roads.
Several parts of Rajkot, Jamnagar, Morbi, Amreli and Junagadh reeled under heavy wet spell on Sunday. In Morbi, two agricultural labourers were rescued by villagers in Paneli village after their bike got swept away in a flash flood.
Similarly, two persons travelling into a mini-tempo were rescued from Utavali river in Botad district after the vehicle overturned in turbulent water on the road.
Junagadh district was blessed with the heavy rainfall as Mavadar received 124 mm, followed by Junagadh (105 mm), Vathali (113 mm), Visavadar (75 mm), Mangrol (44 mm), Mendarda (65 mm), Keshod (66 mm) and Maliya-Hatina received 45 mm rainfall on Sunday.
Heavy rains pounded Lodhika of Rajkot district on Sunday as it received 125 mm in just two hours between 2pm to 4pm. Dhoraji received 56 mm rainfall in just two hours while Upleta got 56mm.