Heavy rains, floods claim 30 lives in North India

As many as 30 people have so far died in India's northern state of Uttarakhand in floods triggered by heavy rains in the state for the past few days, reported the Press Trust of India (PTI) on Friday. Heavy rains continue to affect various other parts of India too. The hill state of Uttarakhand has been experiencing heavy, incessant showers with 850 millimeters of rain being recorded in the past 72 hours. Rail and road transport have been adversely hit in the state, said the report. A few of the national highways crisscrossing the state have been blocked because of landslides in several areas. Trains have been stranded because railway tracks have been washed away. As a precautionary measure, the government has ordered all schools to be closed indefinitely, added the report.