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Flood toll in north Orissa mounts to 12

Photo: Ashoke Chakrabarty

Flood affect: Bhubaneswar Railway Station wears a deserted look as train services remain disrupted on the Bhubaneswar-Howrah section following the recent floods. —

BHUBANESWAR: The current flood in Balasore had its first high profile casualty when son of a former Congress MP fell into a ditch caused by a breach on National Highway 60 near Rupsa.

Sumin Mohanty (30), son of Jaya Narayan Mohanty, who is also district Congress president, was returning to Baliapal from Balasore when the accident took place on Wednesday night. He could not detect the breach, which was created by swirling floodwater a week ago.

The victim was rushed to district headquarters hospital of Balasore where doctors declared him dead on Thursday morning. The breach had occurred just next to a bridge near Rupsa. Soon after the breach damaged the bridge on National Highway 60, a trailer fell into the ditch. It had affected the vehicular movement as well as the relief and rescue operation.

In the current flood as many as 12 persons died in Balasore, Bhadrak and Mayurbhanj districts. Similarly, nine breaches have occurred on different embankments inundating hundreds of hectares of land and cutting off villagers from mainstream.

Meanwhile, the State government on Thursday said more than 12 lakh people had been affected by the floods.

Although relief and rescue operations in the affected districts were stated to be in its last leg, people’s misery showed no sign of diminishing. On Wednesday evening, several of areas received substantial rainfall. According to Bhubaneswar Meteorological Centre, southwest monsoon has been active over the State. Heavy to very heavy rainfalls were recorded at isolated places over north Orissa.

The met office forecast rains or thundershower were likely to occur at many places over the State during the next 24 hours.

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