Over 14,000 people in West and East Midnapore were rendered homeless today as a swelling Kangshabati river breached mud embankments.

The flooding in the low-lying villages was aggravated because water was released from the Tarafeni barrage.

Irrigation officials said there was a surge of around 80,000 cusecs of water in the Kangshabati last evening that caused the river to swell and breach em