Rain Fury In Gujarat: Rajkot Airport Wall Collapses, 35 Dead In 3 Days

Rajkot: A runway side wall of the Rajkot International Airport collapsed on Thursday amid incessant rain in Gujarat, according to reports. This is the second collapse since June at the airport. Earlier, a canopy at the passenger pickup and drop area outside the Rajkot airport terminal in Gujarat had collapsed amid heavy rain in June.

Meanwhile, the rain fury has claimed at least 35 lives since Monday, reported the Indian Express. Rescue operations are underway. The Army and Indian Coast Guard have been evacuating people from the flooded districts.

Several Saurashtra districts, especially Devbhumi Dwarka, Jamnagar, Porbandar and Rajkot, received very heavy rainfall in 24-hour. Khambhalia taluka of Devbhumi Dwarka district got 454 mm rainfall, followed by Jamnagar city (387 mm), and Jamjodhpur taluka in Jamnagar (329 mm).

Out of 251 talukas of the state, 13 received more than 200 mm rainfall, and another 39 over 100 mm showers till 6am on Wednesday in 24-hour period. About 140 reservoirs and dams, and 24 rivers in the state were flowing above the danger marks, the reports claimed. Rainfall has also disrupted the movement of traffic and train services as railway lines were flooded.

Out of 206 dams, 122 were put on high alert due to sharp rise in their water levels, an official statement cited. As many as 48 trains were cancelled, 14 partially cancelled, and 6 short-terminated and another 23 were diverted to alternative routes, according to the officials of Western Railway’s Ahmedabad division.