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Toll from heavy rains in West Bengal rises to 12
10/24/2005
KOLKATA, Oct 23 (AFP): Heavy rains in the eastern Indian state of West Bengal have killed 12 people and left thousands trapped by rising waters, an official said on Sunday.
"Rescuers are trying to reach out to the marooned people in boats, but swirling flood waters posed problems," West Bengal Finance Minister Asim Dasgupta told reporters after visiting waterlogged districts on the fringes of state capital Kolkata.
The minister also said two more people had died in the southern part of the state in house collapses, taking the toll in the past three days to 12.
Kolkata and southern areas of the state have been drenched by five days of rains triggered by a low pressure area over the Bay of Bengal.
As much as 360 millimetres (14 inches) of post-monsoon rain have fallen since Wednesday, according to the regional weather department.
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