Rajkot: Large parts of Saurashtra remained under the grip of heavy rain for the third consecutive day, with Junagadh bearing the maximum brunt on Friday.At Vandarvad village in Maliya Hatina, an ST bus was stranded in a strong water current after a road was submerged. All passengers were safely evacuated before three earthmovers were pressed into service to pull the bus to safety.Mangrol mamlatdar VD Mori said the taluka has received over 570 mm of rain so far this season, leading to widespread waterlogging and flooding.In Veraval, rainwater entered several shops, while Rajendra Bhuvan Road and the premises of the Veraval municipality office were inundated. More than 300 houses in Prabhas Patan were flooded, causing acute hardship to residents.In Buri village of Manavadar taluka, several ONGC employees were stranded amid flooding. On receiving information, the district administration immediately launched a rescue operation and successfully rescued all the stranded employees and shifted them to a safe location.In Amreli, heavy rain damaged a stretch of the Amreli -Kukavav state highway and disrupted traffic.Flooding also affected the Junagadh-Somnath National Highway, disrupting traffic. In Rajkot district, villages including Lath, Bhimora and Majethi in Upleta taluka were cut off after being surrounded by floodwaters, with water entering several homes. Rough sea conditions prevailed in Dwarka, where high waves lashed the Gomti riverfront and the Bhadkeshwar Mahadev temple.The region has been witnessing heavy rainfall since Thursday. As a precaution, NDRF teams have been kept on standby in Junagadh and Gir Somnath districts.
