NEW DELHI, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- At least 17 people died in rain-related incidents in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh in the past 48 hours, officials said Friday.
The deaths were reported from various districts, including Kanpur, Shahjahanpur, Gonda, Banda and Unnao districts.
"While three people died in Kanpur, two each lost their lives in Shahjahanpur, Gonda, Banda and Unnao districts. One person each died in Barabanki, Kannauj, Kanpur Dehat, Firozabad, Ambedkar Nagar and Pilibhit district," a disaster management official said.
Most of the deaths occurred due to house or wall collapses because of heavy showers that have been lashing the state for the past one week, he said. "Some also died of electrocution and drowning," he said.
State Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed senior district administration and police officials to oversee the situation, provide relief and pursue people to vacate unsafe buildings.
The weather department has predicted more rains in the next 24 hours.
Building collapses are common in India during monsoon every year because of poor construction standards to meet demand for low-cost houses and lack of regards for basic safety norms.
