Two youth drown in Vadodara as Heavy Rains Lash Gujarat

Ahmedabad, Gujarat –  As monsoon unleashed its full fury across Gujarat, painting hill stations with picturesque greens, a profound tragedy struck Vadodara, casting a somber shadow over the state’s battle with the incessant downpour. Two promising medical students from Gotri Medical College, out for a walk along the Narmada Canal, drowned, highlighting the perilous conditions gripping the region amidst heavy rainfall warnings.

The victims, identified as Prem Praveenbhai Matam from Jamnagar and Aditya Ramakrishna from Surat, had reportedly gone for an outing when they somehow fell into the Narmada Canal. Their bodies were later retrieved and brought to Gotri Hospital, leaving their families and the college community in shock. The Vadodara taluka police have initiated an investigation into this devastating incident.

“It’s heartbreaking to hear about these young lives lost,” shared a local resident, expressing the collective grief. “The canal can be deceptively dangerous during these heavy rains.”

Meanwhile, the Meteorological Department has issued a grim “Nowcast Bulletin,” predicting heavy to very heavy rain across the state until at least 1 AM. A red alert for “extremely heavy rain” has been declared for Aravalli and Bhavnagar districts, signaling critical conditions. Bharuch, Anand, and Mahisagar are also under a red alert, indicating severe weather.

An orange alert, warning of “very heavy rain,” is in effect for Gandhinagar, Ahmedabad, Mehsana, Banaskantha, Botad, Surendranagar, Amreli, Morbi, Rajkot, Kheda, Panchmahal, Dahod, Chhota Udepur, Vadodara, Narmada, and Patan districts. Furthermore, a yellow alert for “heavy rain” has been issued for coastal and Saurashtra regions, including Kutch, Jamnagar, Dwarka, Porbandar, Junagadh, Gir Somnath, Surat, Tapi, Dang, Navsari, Valsad, Diu, Daman, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli.

The relentless rains have already wreaked havoc, particularly in Ahmedabad. After 7 PM, the eastern parts of the city were inundated, with areas like Maninagar, Khokhra, Vastral, Odhav, and Chandkheda experiencing over an inch and a half of rain. This sudden downpour led to severe waterlogging on roads, trapping commuters returning home from work. Underpasses at three key locations were forced to shut due to the rising water levels. In a worrying development, a youth went missing after falling into a ditch near Ambikanagar in the Odhav area, prompting a search operation by the fire brigade.

The Meteorological Department’s forecast indicates that heavy to very heavy rainfall will persist across the state until July 1st, affecting districts like Narmada, Tapi, Dahod, Surat, Bharuch, Valsad, Navsari, Dang, Daman, Amreli, Bhavnagar, Panchmahal, Gir Somnath, and Aravalli.

This year’s monsoon has been notably stronger, with the state recording an average of 20 percent more rainfall compared to last year’s figures for the same period. As of June 25, 2025, Gujarat has received an average of 8.42 inches of rain, significantly higher than the 1.67 inches recorded by the same date last year.