Stranded at Patna Residence, Deputy CM Sushil Modi Evacuated as Deluge Submerges Bihar

New Delhi: As heavy downpour wreaked havoc in Bihar, most parts of capital city Patna remain submerged. The roads have been turned into waterways after incessant rains. While several people had to be evacuated out of the marooned houses, deputy chief minister Sushil Modi too was among those affected.

Sushil Modi was stranded at his residence in Patna and was rescued by the personnel of National and State Disaster Response Forces. Clad in a T-shirt and shorts, the Bihar deputy CM was seen being evacuated by the rescuers in an orange inflatable boat. He was then doing the rounds of the city issuing instructions to officials.

Incessant rains since last week have wreaked havoc in Bihar and as many as 25 people lost their lives in rain-related incidents.

In Patna, there has been a let up in rainfall since morning though the sky is overcast and the IMD has predicted showers later in the day.

According to the state disaster management department, six casualties have been reported from Gaya district where five persons were buried alive in a wall collapse while another person was drowned in a river which was in spate because of incessant rains.

In addition, police in the adjoining district of Jehanabad confirmed the death of a three-year-old girl who was crushed to death when the wall of an old house, adjacent to a street where she was playing, caved in.

The district administration has ordered closure of all schools till October 1 as a preventive measure and warned of strict punishment to those who violated the direction and "put the lives of teachers and students at risk".

Motorcyclists were seen driving through knee-deep waters after covering the silencers of their two-wheelers with plastic bottles and pipes inserted to allow emission of fumes without water entering the exhaust pipes.

At some places, people living in houses situated on either side of a street helped each other with items of daily use which were rolled down on unfurled 'gamchas' (a thin towel), corners of which were held by people standing atop boundary walls.

(With PTI inputs)