People commute on rafts at a flood-hit village near Balurghat in South Dinajpur district of West Bengal on Thursday. Photo:Patna/Guwahati/Kolkata: At least 53 more deaths were on Thursday reported from the deluge-battered areas of Assam, Bihar and West Bengal, where swirling floodwaters have paralysed normal life and marooned over 1.20 crore people. The deluge has affected nearly 93 lakh people in 15 districts, forced postponement of examination and cancellation of trains, officials said. Amrit said 114 boats of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), 92 of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and 70 of the Army have been deployed for relief and rescue works. Floods claimed 17 more lives in six northern districts of West Bengal, even as the overall situation improved on Thursday, officials said.

Source: Mint August 17, 2017 16:52 UTC