Schools shut amid incessant rains in central India

NEW DELHI, Aug. 23 (Xinhua) -- Schools have been shut in several districts of India's central state Madhya Pradesh, as a red alert has been sounded in as many as 39 districts after incessant rains played havoc over the past few days, media reports said on Tuesday.

According to reports by NDTV, less vehicular traffic was witnessed due to poor visibility on many roads, especially in western parts of Madhya Pradesh.

The districts where schools have been closed include the state capital Bhopal, and Jabalpur, about 310 km east of Bhopal.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert forecasting heavy to very heavy rainfall, and extremely heavy rainfall at isolated places in western parts of the state.

Rivers were flowing above the danger mark in many parts of the state, even as gates of many dams were opened to release water, said the reports.

Meanwhile, nearly 50 people died in northern and eastern parts of India over the past few days in flash floods and landslides triggered by torrential rains, particularly in the states of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Odisha and Jharkhand.

Himachal Pradesh's Mandi and Chamba districts have been the worst hit by rains-related accidents.