Heavy rainfall across Bihar has severely disrupted normal life, with at least 16 people losing their lives in lightning strikes and rain-related incidents over the past 24 hours.
Muzaffarpur district reported the highest toll with four deaths, followed by three in Jehanabad. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has expressed grief over the loss of lives.
Rohtas and Kaimur districts are witnessing flood-like situation due to the rising water level of Karmanasha river and its tributaries, while Sasaram town saw widespread waterlogging.
Heavy rain has also led to severe waterlogging in parts of Patna, Saran, Siwan, and Gopalganj districts. Train services have been disrupted due to fallen trees on railway tracks while flights at Patna Airport were affected due to adverse weather conditions.
The Meteorological Department has issued an alert for heavy rainfall alert in several parts of the state today.
Heavy rain continued to batter Bihar on Sunday, leaving large parts of the state flooded, disrupting normal life, and claiming at least ten lives in rain-related incidents over the past 48 hours
According to the state disaster management department, three people died due to heavy rain and thunderstorms, while seven were killed in lightning strikes across several districts. The deaths were reported from Vaishali, Rohtas, Muzaffarpur, West Champaran, Bhojpur, Jehanabad, Kishanganj, and Arwal. Thirteen others were injured
Officials said Rs 4 lakh in ex-gratia has been released to the family of the deceased in Bhojpur, while compensation for other victims’ families is being processed.
In Patna, a portion of the service lane adjoining the Mithapur flyover caved in following hours of heavy rainfall. Road Construction Minister Nitin Nabin, who inspected the site on Saturday, said the main flyover structure was unaffected.
Sitamarhi saw over 15 hours of relentless rain, flooding nearly the entire district. The traffic police station and the station house officer’s residence were inundated, forcing officers to seek help through a video appeal. The border town of Bairgania was also submerged, while Surusand and nearby areas remained under waist-deep water with little sign of relief efforts.
In East Champaran, incessant downpours since Friday night have turned the district into an island, with Raxaul completely waterlogged for over a day. In Gopalganj, two days of rain flooded the Sadar Hospital premises, leaving patients, doctors, and attendants stranded in knee-deep water.
Muzaffarpur faced similar scenes, with rainwater entering shops and homes across several neighbourhoods, crippling movement and trade.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said a well-marked low-pressure area over west Jharkhand and adjoining parts of south Bihar, southeast Uttar Pradesh and north Chhattisgarh is moving north-northeastwards and is likely to weaken into a low-pressure system by Sunday evening.
Alerts have been issued for several districts including Araria, Banka, Begusarai, Bhagalpur, Darbhanga, Jamui, Katihar, Khagaria, and Samastipur, warning of thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds today.
While the depression has weakened considerably, parts of northeast Bihar, Sikkim, Assam, Meghalaya, North Bengal, Odisha, and Arunachal Pradesh are expected to witness moderate to heavy rainfall over the next 12–24 hours.
The IMD said rainfall intensity over Bihar is likely to decrease significantly from Monday.