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Lakhimpur boat mishap leaves one dead, two missing
In Lakhimpur, a massive discharge of water from the Banbasa barrage into the Sharda River was the cause of the floods in several tehsils.
A woman died while two persons were reported missing when a boat overturned in Chauka River near Nauvapurwa village in Lakhimpur tehsil.
Sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Lakhimpur Dr Arun Kumar Singh said, “15 other occupants of the boat were rescued.”
Rescue teams and villagers rushed to the spot and rescued 15 people, however, an elderly woman dead, and two are missing.
Meanwhile, the eight persons reported missing in the Taliaghat boat mishap on Wednesday evening could not be traced on Thursday. “On Thursday, a boat carrying 18 persons was crossing the Chauka River on their way to Nauvapurwa when it overturned,” SDM Singh said.
According to official reports, two persons have been killed so far in boat-related accidents, one Sundar Lal (65) in Dhaurahra tehsil and an elderly woman in Lakhimpur tehsil.
Kheri district magistrate Dr Arvind Kumar Chaurasiya said that three NDRF teams, one SDRF team, and two flood PAC teams with steamers and other rescue equipment have been deployed to locate and rescue the flood-hit people. DM said that the rescue teams have so far rescued 1222 people and taken them to safer places.
DM said that a massive discharge of 5,33,000 cusec of water into Sharda River from the Banbasa barrage was the cause of the flood fury in several tehsils of the district. Also, the unprecedented heavy rains in October have worsened the situation.
Kheri DM assured that the administration was engaged on war footing to rescue and provide relief, and hopefully, the situation would be normal soon.
Meanwhile, with no fresh heavy discharge into Sharda and Ghaghra, the water level is reported to be receding.
However, the river has left behind a trail of destruction.
The Sharda eroded the Mailani-Bahraich railway track between Bhira-Pallia, following which north-east railways have suspended the train movement till Oct 31 on this route.
In Pallia, Nighasan and Dhaurahra tehsil, several villages have been left marooned in floodwaters. Besides paddy crops being damaged by the floodwater, the villagers are also facing cattle fodder scarcity.
