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The army was called out and Indian Air Force planes were pressed into service to assist civil authorities in combating floods in Gorakhpur city and its neighbouring areas in eastern Uttar Pradesh, an official spokesman told rediff.com in Lucknow on Monday.
The worst turbulence was witnessed in the Rapti river that originates in Nepal and is responsible for making floods a perennial feature in this part of the state close to the Nepal border.
The worst affected district is Gorakhpur, where 352 villages were stated to be completely marooned.
Rapti river was flowing two metres above the danger mark in Gorakhpur city.
District magistrate M K Gupta told rediff.com over telephone, "If the rains continue in the this manner, the level might well cross its past record, which is barely another 10 centimetres away."
Over a million people were reported to be directly affected by the floods that, besides Gorakhpur district, had caused havoc in Siddharthnagar, Basti, Kushinagar and Maharajganj districts.
About 53 persons are reported to have died on account of the floods that were accentuated by torrential rains over the past two weeks in large parts of Uttar Pradesh.
EARLIER REPORT: Heavy rains leave 141 dead
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