A child was swept away in swirling water as 29 villages were flooded by swollen Ganga in Malda district on Thursday as the flood situation remained grim in parts of the district.
A senior district official said the 2-year old was swept away in Kaliachak block number three as vast areas of the block were submerged by water from Ganga which was flowing at extreme danger level in the area.
Several gram panchayat areas in the district including Manikchak, Birnagar, Krishnapur were partially under water while water gushed over two roads built under 'Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana' project disrupting vehicular communication, the official said.
The administration opened four relief camps in higher land to shelter the marooned, the official said adding thousands were reeling under flood water in the area.
The official said boats were being pressed into service to ferry the marooned and provide relief materials.