Six drown in flood-hit areas of Uttar Pradesh

Six persons drowned in flood-hit areas of Uttar Pradesh where major rivers continued to flow above the danger mark, official sources said in Lucknow today.

"Since yesterday afternoon, six persons, including three children, an infant and a teenager died due to drowning in different parts of Hardoi taking the toll in rain-related incidents in the district to 16," they said.

Army and administration were carrying out rescue and relief operation as more than 500 villages have been inundated by the floods in the district.

"All majors rivers including Ganga, Ramganga and Garra are still flowing above the danger mark making rescue operation difficult," the sources said.

Traffic between Hardoi-Kannauj and Hardoi-Farukkhabad routes had been affected as roads were submerged in flood waters, they said.

The situation is grim in a number of western UP districts including Farukkhabad, Shahjahanpur, Agra and Badaun.

Meanwhile, Moradabad MP Azharuddin has demanded Rs300 crore for flood victims in his parliamentary constituency.

"The cricketer-turned-politician has written a letter to the Prime Minister seeking a package of Rs300 crore for flood victims in Moradabad," sources said.

A delegation of UPPCC led by state unit chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi is likely to meet the Prime Minister today and demand a special package for flood affected areas in the state, party spokesperson Subodh Srivastava said.