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Rains claim 50 lives; dry spell in some areas

Delhi remains dry and humid; six boys drowned in Varanasi and Jaunpur districts

PHOTO: RANJEET KUMAR

A SWIMMING POOL IN THE BACKYARD: Children enjoying swimming in a waterlogged area in Patna on Friday.

New Delhi: Six more deaths in Uttar Pradesh in the last 24 hours have taken the toll in rain-related incidents to 50, even as a lull in rainfall activity in the national Capital, soon after it was lashed by heavy showers a couple of days back, has resulted in a dry spell coupled with a high humidity level.

The Capital recorded 35 degrees Celsius from Thursday's 34.6 degrees Celsius, while the humidity level rose to about 65 per cent.

Six boys drowned in Varanasi and Jaunpur districts of Uttar Pradesh, taking the toll in rain-related incidents to 50 so far, a report said. Though some areas of North West India like Amritsar, Ambala and Jammu had widespread rainfall during the last 24 hours, Delhi remained dry.

However, widespread moderate to heavy rainfall was reported in the last 24 hours, with the monsoon gaining momentum in Uttar Pradesh. Lucknow, Moradabad, Gorakhpur, Faizabad, Varanasi, Allahabad, Kanpur and Bareilly divisions received rainfall, but people in several low-lying areas were facing problems after the rains.

In Kolkata, waterlogged streets and traffic snarls after continuous downpour left the commuters struggling to reach their destinations. According to the Met department, suburbs experienced 88.9 mm of rainfall since last evening, while some other parts of the city recorded up to 112 mm of rainfall in an hour last evening.

In Srinagar, one-way traffic was allowed this morning on the 300-km-long Srinagar-Jammu National Highway, which was closed yesterday following landslides triggered by heavy rains.

Meanwhile, the South West monsoon has been active in sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Sikkim and coastal Karnataka, as well as over Kerala and Lakshwadeep, with most places continuing to get heavy rains.

Heavy rains lashed several areas of Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh, while other areas of the State received light to moderate rains during the past 24 hours, as the monsoon remained active in the state, the met office said today. -- UNI

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