Dam collapses, 100s evacuated in R'sthan

The administration has stopped traffic on the Jaipur-Jodhpur highway, leaving thousands stranded.

A dam has breached in Rajasthan following heavy rains, forcing authorities to hurriedly evacuate hundreds of villagers and halt traffic on the Jaipur-Jodhpur highway leaving thousands stranded.

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A portion of the 118-year-old Jaswant Sagar dam in Jodhpur district, 340 km from Jaipur, breached on Friday night after being fed by swollen rivers.

Of the 227 small and big dams in Rajasthan, 28 are full and 131 partially full due to heavy rains.

"We are in the process of evacuating 39 villages as there is a danger of them getting submerged," Kiran Soni Gupta, the Jodhpur divisional commissioner, said over telephone.

She said soldiers and others frantically tried to control the breach by piling up sand bags. However, it did not work and villagers living nearby were asked to go to higher places.

The administration has stopped traffic on the Jaipur-Jodhpur highway, leaving thousands stranded. Around 30 buses ply daily on this route.

"There is some water on the highway near Bilara," a district official said.

Pali, Sirohi and other nearby areas received heavy rainfall in the last few days.

While local media reports said at least three people have died in rain related incidents, there is no official confirmation.

Of the 227 small and big dams in Rajasthan, 28 are full and 131 partially full in the wake of heavy rains.