india

Updated: Sep 29, 2019 17:37 IST

Heavy rains hit the southern parts of Gujarat in the past 24 hours resulting in the death of three people. Four fishermen are suspected to have drowned when their boat capsized off the coast of Gir Somnath on Saturday night, state disaster relief officials said.

The first incident happened in Rajkot, where a car with four people on board was swept away by a strong water current in the inundated causeway over Fofal river. A man was rescued by local villagers, but three women died, said a police official. The four relatives were on their way to attend a marriage.

According to the police, a boat carrying four fishermen capsized in the Arabian Sea off Nava Bandar coast in Gir Somnath district on Saturday evening. A team comprising of Coast Guard and marine police are trying to locate the four missing fishermen.

“The boat owner learnt on Sunday morning that the vessel had capsized. While three fishermen on board managed to swim to safety, four others are still missing,” said a local police official.

Heavy rains continued in several parts of Saurashtra including Rajkot, Junagadh, Morbi and Devbhoomi Dwarka districts, according to the Gujarat emergency operation centre. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast widespread rainfall across the state till Monday and advised fishermen not to venture into the sea.

“There is a well-marked low pressure area over the Gulf of Kutch and neighbouring areas and the cyclonic circulations associated with it are likely to move and turn into a depression over north Gujarat during the next 24 hours,” IMD said in a statement.

(With inputs from agencies).