Varanasi: Fierce winds and heavy showers sweeping Varanasi and adjoining parts of Purvanchal since Friday uprooted trees, snapped branches onto overhead power lines and disrupted traffic and electricity supply, keeping normal life on edge amid a relentless spell of rain.
The Central Water Commission’s report said the Ganga, whose water level had receded to 65.40 metres against the warning level of 70.26 metres, had started rising again. The occupants — Wahid Khan, his mother Rukhsana Bano and 10-year-old Zohair Khan — escaped safely, though the car was badly damaged. Locals, along with teams from the district administration and Varanasi Municipal Corporation, stepped in to clear fallen branches and restore movement. Villagers rescued the occupants, while police later helped clear the road after hours of effort. Traffic resumed only after the obstruction was removed.
Tree falls on Saturday morning caused major inconvenience to commuters near Havelia crossing in the Sarnath area, at the Chandmari TFC turn on the Bhojubir-Chandmari road and in Rohania. In Azamgarh district, a major accident was narrowly averted on Saturday morning when a huge peepal tree fell on an SUV near Srinagar village on the Azamgarh-Bilariaganj road around 10am during heavy rain and strong winds.