Rain Batters Punjab, Haryana, Army On Alert

Nine people have died in rain-related incidents in Punjab and Haryana as incessant showers battered the two states for the third day in a row, flooding many places and sending authorities scrambling for rescue operations. The Punjab government has ordered the closure of schools till July 13 while in Chandigarh schools are closed till Thursday. Haryana too has ordered the closure of schools in some worst-affected districts till Wednesday. In other places of the state, the government has left it to the deputy commissioners to take a call on the matter after assessing the situation.