Rescue operations conclude in rain-battered Palghar; death toll rises to two; 244 saved

Rescue operations conclude in rain-battered Palghar; death toll rises to two; 244 saved

Palghar, Heavy rains claimed two lives in Maharashtra's Palghar district over the past two days, where the local administration and two National Disaster Response Force teams rescued 244 people from flooded areas, officials said on Friday.

Rescue operations conclude in rain-battered Palghar; death toll rises to two; 244 saved

Schools and educational institutions in the district have been directed to remain closed on Friday as well for safety reasons, they said.

Vivekanand Kadam, chief of the district disaster management cell, said the multi-agency rescue and relief operations concluded around 5 am. Several localities in Palghar went underwater following intense rainfall, with Dahanu and Talasari among the worst-affected areas.

Kadam said the death toll rose to two after another body was recovered in Dahanu on Thursday. The man who was washed away in floodwaters is yet to be identified, he said. Earlier, another man's body was found in a nullah.

The official said 244 persons were rescued from various waterlogged locations across the district. These included 124 from Palghar town, 65 workers stranded at a factory in Talasari, and 25 people trapped at a farmhouse in Gundale.

A relief team official described the deluge as the worst the district had faced in the past decade.

Several close calls were reported during the downpour.

Four passengers narrowly escaped on Thursday when their car plunged into a waterlogged trench on Sun City-Ghas Road in Vasai West after the driver swerved to avoid a stray dog. Locals pulled all four occupants safely out of the partially submerged car.

Six persons, including four passengers, were trapped inside an MSRTC bus stranded in rising floodwaters in Saivan. Local residents again stepped in, pulling them to safety with ropes.

As floodwaters receded, traffic resumed on affected roads and bridges. Officials said they had prioritised carrying out panchnamas to assess the extent of monetary and property losses suffered by residents.

District Collector Indu Rani Jakhar monitored the situation, they added.

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