10 dead, dozens injured as torrential rain batters Jharkhand, NDRF leads rescue operations

Ranchi: At least 10 people have died and 25 others injured as continuous heavy rainfall wreaked havoc across Jharkhand over the last 48 hours, officials said on Thursday.

Several bridges have been washed away, houses have collapsed, and low-lying areas have been submerged, prompting the deployment of NDRF teams for rescue operations.

Urban centres including Ranchi, Hazaribagh, Ramgarh, Jamshedpur, Chatra, and Simdega, have reported severe waterlogging, while rural areas bore the brunt of infrastructure damage.

Over 20 incidents of house and well collapses, lightning strikes, and road accidents have been reported from across the state.

NDRF teams were deployed at several locations to rescue people trapped in flash floods.

On Wednesday, the state government issued a red alert for Ranchi, Lohardaga, Simdega, Khunti, and Gumla, while an orange alert was sounded for Ramgarh, Koderma, Chatra, Palamu, and Garhwa.

Rivers across these districts are in spate, leading to flood-like situations in many areas.

Authorities have urged residents to stay indoors until Friday unless it is necessary. Schools have been closed in several districts, including the capital, Ranchi.

In a tragic incident in Khunti district’s Somar Bazar locality, two children — Amit Hunni Purti and Ashish Topno — died after getting trapped in a semi-constructed well when the soil around it caved in.

Despite a 22-hour rescue operation by the NDRF and local administration, both children were declared dead after they were pulled out on Thursday.

Another fatality occurred in Dodma village under the Torpa police station area of Khunti, where 19-year-old Rajkumar Manjhi was buried under a collapsed kutcha wall while attempting to repair his rain-damaged house.

In West Singhbhum’s Chakradharpur, a woman named Gurubari Dongo died, and three children were injured when a mud house collapsed.

A six-year-old girl also died in a similar incident in Tamar, Ranchi district.

Six labourers remained stranded overnight on an under-construction bridge over the Karkari River between Sonpur and Doreya in Arki (Khunti) after the water level rose rapidly. An NDRF rescue operation was underway on Thursday.

In Ranchi’s Namkum area, more than 25 people were rescued from flooded areas along the Sapahi River.

A bridge on the Banai River connecting Simdega to Khunti collapsed, disrupting road connectivity to Odisha. A truck remains stranded on the broken part of the road.

In Latehar’s Tetriyakhand colliery area, a truck was washed away by rain-swollen waters and plunged into the river.

The Bodam-Patamda road near Pardih Kali temple on the Tata-Ranchi highway in Jamshedpur is fully submerged.

Heavy rains have also flooded several shops near the Bhairavi River in Rajrappa, Ramgarh.

In Hazaribagh’s Barkatha block, a bus skidded off a waterlogged road, injuring 10 passengers.

Earlier on Wednesday, five people were killed in separate road accidents in Jamshedpur, Dhanbad, and Bokaro.

IANS