Balrampur, 3 Sep

Four people were killed and three went missing after a portion of a small dam collapsed and led to a flash flood in Chhattisgarh's Balrampur district, officials said on Wednesday.

Three people also sustained injuries in the incident, they said.

The breach in the Lutti (Satbahini) reservoir in Dhaneshpur village occurred late Tuesday night following heavy rainfall in the region, Balrampur Collector Rajendra Katara said.

Water from the reservoir, built in the early 1980s, descended through the breach onto nearby houses and agricultural fields, he said.

"Four people, including a woman and her mother-in-law, died while they were asleep at home. Three persons remain missing ,and a search operation is underway," the collector said.

District administration and police teams rushed to the spot after being alerted, he said.

Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai expressed grief over the incident. The government was monitoring the situation and would provide all possible assistance to the affected families, he said in a statement.

The incident also claimed the lives of livestock and damaged houses and crops, he noted, adding that the situation was extremely painful for the affected families.

The district administration, National Disaster Response Force, State Disaster Response Force and local officials were carrying out relief and rescue operations, and adequate arrangements had been made for the treatment of the injured, while every possible effort was being made to find the missing persons, the CM said.

He also instructed the district administration to prepare a proposal for sanctioning ex gratia assistance to the victims or their kin, conduct a survey of the damage, and provide temporary shelters, food grains and other essential items to the affected families.