Odisha lashed by rain

Monsoon showers lashed down on Odisha, with one town, district headquarters of Koraput, recording 163 millimetre rain in the past 24 hours, an official said Thursday.

Normal life was hit in the headquarters town of Koraput, about 500 km from state capital Bhubaneswar. A senior official of the Bhubaneswar meteorological centre told IANS that rains in Koraput were "heavy" to "very heavy".

Bhabanipatna town in Kalahandi district too recorded 134 millimetre rainfall during the period, he said.

The monsoon is active in Odisha, and many parts of the state witnessed widespread, heavy rain.

The weatherman said a low pressure belt over the Bay of Bengal would trigger widespread rain across the state, with some parts receiving heavy to very heavy rain over the next two days.

Fishermen have been warned not to venture into the sea as strong and gusty surface wind speeds, reaching 40-50 km per hour (kmph) are likely to prevail along and off the state's coast, he said.