Four Killed, Several Missing After Dam Breach in Balrampur Amid Heavy Rains in Chhattisgarh
Raipur: At least four people lost their lives and six others missing after a decades-old dam in Balrampur district collapsed late Tuesday night following incessant rainfall. The incident occurred around 11 pm near Luttisadsa village, close to Taatapani.
According to officials, the sudden breach of the dam washed away four houses located in the low-lying area. Eight residents were swept away in the floodwaters. By Wednesday morning, the bodies of two elderly women and two others were recovered, while rescue operations are still underway to trace the missing six. Teams of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), police, and district administration are camping at the site.
“Continuous heavy rain weakened the old embankment. Despite rescue efforts through the night, six persons remain untraced,” a senior official said, adding that operations are hampered by strong currents and muddy terrain.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has attributed the torrential downpour to a low-pressure system formed over the Bay of Bengal. The system is likely to bring widespread rainfall across Chhattisgarh for the next two days, with isolated heavy to very heavy showers in parts of the state.
An orange alert for heavy rainfall was issued on Wednesday for Kanker, Rajnandgaon, Khairagarh-Chhuikhadan-Gandai, and Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki districts, while a yellow alert was sounded for Balod, Narayanpur, Bijapur, and Kabirdham. Other districts are likely to receive light to moderate showers.
In the last 24 hours, Bastar division reported medium to heavy rainfall, leading to floods that damaged more than 200 houses in Dantewada, Bijapur, Sukma, and Bastar districts. Over 2,000 people have been shifted to relief camps.
Balrampur district, which has so far received 1,278.6 mm rainfall this monsoon — 59% above normal, is among the worst affected.
Officials have appealed to residents in low-lying and riverside areas to remain alert as the water level in several reservoirs and rivers continues to rise.
