By IANS
Balasore (Orissa) : Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Sunday undertook an aerial survey of submerged regions in north Orissa, where at least eight people were killed in flash floods triggered by heavy rain.
Torrential rains over the last five days caused by a depression over Bay of Bengal have led to flash floods in Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Keonjhar, and Mayurbhanj districts, affecting nearly 700,000 people in over 700 villages.
While six people died in Balasore Saturday, two people were killed in neighbouring Bhadrak district, a state official said.
In Balasore, four people were swept away by floodwater, one died of electrocution and another was killed in a wall collapse, District Collector A.C. Padhiary told IANS.
The water level in rivers Kharasrota, Baitarani, Brahmani, Budhabalanga, Subarnarekha and Jalaka continue to remain above the danger level Sunday, the official said.
The floods have caused extensive damage in the five districts where thousands of mud houses have collapsed, rendering many people homeless. Several roads have also been cut off by floodwaters, the official said.
Patnaik undertook an aerial survey of the flood-hit areas and announced a Rs.50,000 compensation for the families of those dead.
"We have deployed powerboats to provide relief and rescue the affected people. We have an adequate stock of relief materials," Padhiary said.
While there was no rainfall Sunday, weather officials have predicted heavy showers in the next couple of days.