Two persons engaged in relief work in a flooded East Midnapore village of Itaberia panchayat died after coming in contact with a live wire on Monday night.

Seven volunteers had gone by boat to distribute relief materials to flood-hit residents of Kotmukha village when the incident took place.

Local sources said the volunteers, including team leader and pradhan of Itaberia gram panchayat Sumita Jana, had been using a bamboo pole to row the boat.

When the wet bamboo pole came in contact with an overhead electric cable, all occupants of the boat were electrocuted and injured, a panchayat official said. “One person, Sourabh Mondal, 26, fell off the boat owing to the impact of the bamboo pole coming in contact with the overhead cable and went missing. We took the six others to Itaberia block hospital where Pradip Maity, 31, was declared brought dead,” said the panchayat official.On Tuesday morning, Sourabh’s body was was spotted floating.

Three other injured volunteers who were admitted to the Itaberia hospital turned critical on Tuesday and had to be shifted to the Tamluk hospital, the official added.

“It is a very unfortunate incident. Those who are involved in relief distribution work in our area are all villagers who volunteered to help flood victims,” Gouranga Mondal, a member of the Itaberia panchayat said.

“We are providing relief materials for the last two days,” Mondal added.

Totrrential rain pounded East Midnapore on Tuesday as well, along with other parts of coastal Bengal. Incessant rain aggravated floods in East and West Midnapore districts. The river Keleghai flooded newer areas.

East Midnapore’s district disaster management officer Mrityunjoy Halder said: “Fresh rain on successive days for a stretch now has worsened the situation in areas adjacent to the Keleghai river. These areas include Patashpur and its adjacent places that have already been devastated by floods.”

Cave-in kills child

In West Midnapore’s Burisole, Tiyasha Bhuniya, 3, died when her thatched house, where she lived with her parents, caved in on Tuesday morning on account of the impact of the rain and floods.

Her mother Soma Bhuniya, who is in an advanced stage of pregnancy, has been seriously injured and is admitted to the hospital.

The weather office has forecast light to moderate rainfall, along with thunderstorms in major parts of Murshidabad, Birbhum and South Dinajpur districts from Tuesday afternoon.

The weather forecast on Tuesday has unleashed a fresh possibility of more inundation in south Bengal on a day continued rain aggravated the floods in East Midnapore’s Patashpur and Bhagabanpur and West Midnapore’s Sabang.