Parts of western Madhya Pradesh continued to reel under floods caused by incessant rain, officials said on Friday, adding that the death toll has reached 70 in the state. However, the intensity of rain lessened in the rest of the state on Friday.

“Of the 70 people, 15 died due to lightning,” GV Rashmi, additional secretary, revenue department, said, adding, “The floods had happened in isolated parts of the state. An alert had been sounded in the state.” Fresh rains were expected by Saturday morning, the IMD said.

The heavy downpour had thrown normal life out of gear in the past few days. RR Tripathi of IMD Bhopal said heavy rainfall may occur in the districts of Agar-Malwa, Sheopur, Ratlam, Neemuch, Mandsaur, Shajapur, Guna and Rajgarh by Saturday morning. Showers were also expected in isolated places in the rest of the state, he added.

Sluice gates of six big and medium reservoirs including Indira Sagar Dam in Khandwa district have been opened as the reservoirs were full, said water resources department’s executive engineer Kamlesh Raikwar.

A joint team of local police and State Disaster Emergency Response Force rescued as many as 117 villagers in Shivpuri on Friday, according to the police.

Superintendent of police, Shivpuri Rajesh Singh Chandel said, “There were 17 children among 117 people rescued. We are keeping a close watch on the situation and alert has been sounded in the district.” 

Meanwhile, the bodies of two teachers and their car driver who were swept away by floodwaters near Mahidpur were retrieved by the police in Ujjain district on Thursday.

According to the officials of the revenue department, 23 people sustained injuries in flood-related incidents; as many as 4,298 people have been displaced, 214 cattle died and crops in 2,368 hectares of land have been damaged.