Death toll rises to 52 in Uttarakhand

• Uttar Pradesh toll at 28; more than 1,000 villages hit
• 4 lakh people affected in Bihar, nine districts flooded

New Delhi: Heavy rains continue to wreak havoc in Uttarakhand on Sunday where 52 people have reportedly been killed following floods and landslides in the area.

Fresh warnings were issued after after water-level in Ganga River increased above the danger mark in Haridwar.

Landslide in the area led to blockage of highway in Gangotri affecting the movement of vehicles.

Twenty-eight persons have died so far in Uttar Pradesh in floods which have hit the state with several rivers flowing above the danger mark and posing a threat to more than 1,000 villages in the affected districts.

"Floods have so far claimed 28 lives with nine districts of the state being affected by the crisis. Relief and rescue operations have been launched (in these areas).

"In all, around 1,000 to 1,500 villages have been affected by the floods," Chief Secretary Alok Ranjan said.

The affected districts are Bahraich, Shravasti, Balrampur, Gonda, Lakhimpur, Barabanki, Sitapur, Faizabad and Azamgarh.

Ranjan said that although the water level was receding in Shravasti district, 117 villages in two tehsils, involving a total population of 60,000 people, has been affected by the floods. There have been two deaths in the district due to the floods, according to the district magistrate.

Nine districts of Bihar have been hit by flood which has claimed two lives so far and affected around four lakh people.

Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, accompanied by Chief Secretary Anjani Kumar Singh and Disaster Management Department (DMD) Principal Secretary Vyasji, conducted an aerial survey of the inundated areas and ordered all out efforts to provide relief to the people.

"Express relief measures should be taken. There is no dearth of funds for the purpose and money will be immediately allocated for it when officials bring it to our notice," said Manjhi after taking a first hand account of the affected areas.

Darbhanga, Nalanda, West Champaran, Supaul, Saharasa, Nawada, Sheikhpura, Sitamarhi and Patna district have been affected by flood, a senior DMD official said, adding two persons died in flood in Saharsa district.

Around 38,000 people have been evacuated so far and 75 relief camps have been set up in the affected districts.

At least 11 people have been killed so far as heavy downpour continued to rock Himachal Pradesh triggering landslides, damaging property and inundating vast tracts of agricultural land.