More than 7,000 people were shifted to safer places in the past two days in parts of Gujarat following incessant rain and flooding, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani said on Sunday. At least three people died and more than 250 people are believed to be stranded, The Hindu reported on Sunday.
Schools in Ahmedabad and Banaskantha will remain closed on Monday because of the continuous downpour, reported The Times of India. The Meteorological Department has predicted heavy to very heavy rainfall in Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Anand, Surat, Valsad, Dahod and Aravalli, among other places.
With rivers swelling and a damn overflowing, Surendranagar, Morbi, Rajkot and Amreli are the worst-affected districts. More than 250 villages are without electricity.
“Rescue operations have been initiated in the Kalol area of Gandhiangar and Deodar area of Banskantha, as both places received 8 inches of rain in past 24 hours,” Rupani said in a statement. He conducted an aerial survey to take stock of the situation in deluge-hit Surendranagar.
Troops from the State Disaster Response Force, National Disaster Response Force, Indian Air Force and Indian Army have been deployed to rescue people stranded in inundated villages.
An IAF helicopter was set out for rescue operations. It evacuated a woman and her newborn twins and another pregnant woman in Nana Matra village of Rajkot district, PTI reported. “The aircraft landed at Jasdan helipad where they were handed over to the medical team already waiting,” Defence Spokesperson Abhishek Matiman said.
A two-storey building in the Hathikhana area of Rajkot had collapsed, but no casualties were reported. Rupani said 65 roads and 10 state highways have been damaged, and bus and rail services were affected.
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