GORAKHPUR, Oct. 4 -- Heavy overnight rain accompanied by strong winds battered the Gorakhpur division after midnight on Friday, triggering widespread disruption across the region. Uprooted trees, snapped power lines, and waterlogging brought train and bus services to a halt, paralysing normal life.

In Deoria, the worst-affected district, official records reported 136 mm of rainfall within 24 hours. The torrential downpour uprooted more than 300 electricity poles, plunging the entire district-including Maharishi Devrahva Baba Medical College and the district hospital-into darkness. Government offices and bus depots were also left waterlogged.

Over 18 trains were halted at various locations, including Baitalpur and Gauri Bazar, while a do...