Toll rises to 25 in Bihar floods; 77 lakh affected

Patna: The death toll in Bihar floods climbed to 25 on Thursday with one of the 16 affected districts reporting a fresh fatality, though inundation by overflowing rivers with origins in Nepal appeared to have slowed down, causing the number of those hit by the calamity to rise by less than a lakh.
According to a bulletin issued by the state disaster management, Darbhanga, by far the worst-affected district which accounts for 20 lakh people hit by the floods, reported its 11th casualty this season.
Earlier, six deaths were reported from Muzaffarpur, four from West Champaran and two each from Saran and Siwan.
Other districts affected by the floods are Sitamarhi, Sheohar, Supaul, Kishanganj, Gopalganj, East Champaran, Khagaria, Samastipur, Madhubani, Madhepura and Saharsa.
The number of people hit by the floods, till date, was 77.77 lakh, up from 77.18 lakh on the previous day. In the recent past, the figure has grown by more than one lakh every day. Wednesday had registered a rise of more than two lakh people. The number of affected blocks across the 16 districts was 128, one more than the previous day, while 1,282 panchayats have been hit by the deluge, an increase of 11 for the same period. (PTI)