Junagadh (Gujarat) [India], July 4 (ANI): Heavy rainfall triggered widespread flooding in Gujarat's Mangrol town on Saturday, disrupting road connectivity and leaving several routes submerged after nearly 21 inches of rain was recorded within just four hours.
The intense downpour caused waist-deep waterlogging on roads connecting Mangrol to Somnath, Junagadh, Porbandar and Dwarka, bringing traffic to a complete halt.
Although the rain stopped around 14 hours ago, several stretches of the Mangrol-Keshod road continued to remain submerged under knee-deep water, severely affecting movement.
Vehicular traffic remained suspended for nearly 24 hours. With water levels gradually receding, the movement of vehicles resumed slowly in the morning on some routes.
However, roads connecting Mangrol to Somnath, Porbandar and Dwarka remain closed due to continued flooding.
Several stranded commuters said they had never witnessed such heavy rainfall in the region before.
The first spell of the southwest monsoon also caused waterlogging in the Dhanera area of Banaskantha district, affecting normal life in parts of north Gujarat.
Earlier in the day, Fire Department personnel rescued several people stranded in floodwaters near Samdhiyala village of Gujarat's Junagadh district following heavy rainfall. The rescue operation was carried out safely and no casualties were reported.
A relentless spell of monsoon rainfall has severely disrupted normal life across western India, triggering intense waterlogging, stranding commuters, and leading to fatalities in parts of Maharashtra and Gujarat.
In Gujarat's Jamnagar district, the Dhrol area bore the brunt of the onslaught, with incessant downpours inundating multiple arterial roads. The sudden flooding left numerous vehicles, including school buses full of children, stranded on waterlogged streets, forcing residents to wade through waist-deep waters to commute.
Meanwhile, Heavy rainfall also continued to batter parts of Madhya Pradesh's Balaghat district, leading to a rise in the water level of rivers and streams and prompting a rescue operation in Kirnapur police station limits, where 16 villagers stranded in floodwaters were safely evacuated.
According to Balaghat SP Aditya Mishra, the villagers from Bhanpur village had gone to work in agricultural fields when the water level suddenly rose due to incessant rainfall, cutting off their return route. On receiving information, teams from Kirnapur Police, Hatta Police, the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and Hawk Force rushed to the spot and launched a rescue operation. (ANI)
