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At least 26 people have been killed in the flash floods by torrential monsoon rain in Gujarat in the past 48 hours, authorities confirmed on Wednesday.

"Over 2,000 villages of north Gujarat have been affected due to the floods," a duty officer in the state's emergency control room told AFP. "We have lost contact with most of these villages and there is no information coming in from those areas."

The rain and high winds have also cut power and communications, raising concerns that villagers may be stranded. Rescue teams have been deployed to several hard-hit areas, including the district of Banaskantha where eight people have been killed in rain-related incidents including drownings. The district collector Dilip Rana said, "Efforts are on to first rescue those stranded in floodwaters."

Four people died in Kutch district after several houses collapsed, while more than 1,000 people there have been relocated to higher grounds, reported local official MS Patel. Six fatalities have also been recorded in the main city of Ahmedabad and eight in other districts, said the control room officer.

The weather bureau forecast that heavy rain will continue to inundate Gujarat for another 48 hours, where more than 50 people were killed last month.



Source: AFP