Nine more dead, over 22,000 evacuated

Even as heavy rains continued to lash parts of Gujarat, nine more deaths were reported on Thursday, taking the toll to 298. While three people died in Junagadh, two were killed in Kheda and one each in Surendranagar, Kutch, Amreli and Vadodara.

Over 22,000 people have been evacuated to safer places in Junagadh, Jamnagar and Rajkot districts. Army units which were till now carrying out relief operations in Veraval, have been moved to Porbandar to assist the local authorities. Services of the Coast Guard has also been requisitioned in Porbandar and surrounding villages.

D A Satya, the OSD attached to the State Emergency Response Centre, said the rain fury has now gripped Upleta town and its surrounding areas in Rajkot district, where two groups of National Disaster Response Force NDRF have been deployed to help in relief and rescue operations.

Satya added that an IAF helicopter was pressed into service to rescue five persons trapped in floodwaters in a village near Jamnagar. Two IAF helicopters were also engaged in air-dropping of food packets in several villages of Porbandar, Jamnagar and Rajkot districts.