39 killed, 4.5 million affected in latest Orissa floods

Posted : Fri, 28 Sep 2007 07:33:01 GMT
Bhubaneswar, Sep 28 - More than four million people have been affected and 39 killed in the torrential rain and flash floods in Orissa in the last fortnight, the state government said Friday.Though the floodwaters have started receding in the rivers passing through the state, the situation in the worst-hit northern districts including Balasore and Bhadrak has yet to improve.A fresh spell of rain Friday caused by a depression over the Bay of Bengal off the Vishakhapatnam coast in Andhra Pradesh led to panic among the flood victims in Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur and Mayurbhanj districts.Relief and rescue operations have been hampered due to flooding of roads in several parts of the state. A shortage of boats has added to the problem.An estimated 4.5 million people were affected by the current floods, the fourth this year, that caused havoc in 12 of the state's 30 districts including six coastal districts. The total loss from the floods has been pegged at Rs.11 billion, the state government said in a memorandum.

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