News Brief
Gujarat Floods: 28 Dead, Thousands Evacuated Amid Heavy Rainfall
Indian Army troops are supporting the ongoing flood relief efforts in Gujarat
At least 28 people have been killed in the past three days in Gujarat as heavy rainfalls have caused floods in many parts of the state.
Nearly 18,000 people have been evacuated from flood-hit areas, and the weather department has warned of extremely heavy rain in 11 districts today.
According to the Gujarat government, fatalities were recorded in multiple districts: one death each in Morbi, Vadodara, Bharuch, Jamnagar, Aravalli, Panchmahal, Dwarka, and Dang, six in Anand, four in Ahmedabad, and two each in Gandhinagar, Kheda, Mahisagar, Dahod, and Surendranagar.
Seven of the victims include people who went missing when their tractor-trolley was swept away by floodwaters while attempting to cross an inundated causeway near Dhavana village in Morbi, news agency PTI reported.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has placed 11 districts in Gujarat under a red alert for rainfall, with an additional 22 districts under a yellow alert for Thursday.
The IMD’s red alert covers the Kachchh and Saurashtra regions, affecting districts such as Kachchh, Dwarka, Jamnagar, Morbi, Surendranagar, Junagadh, Rajkot, Botad, Gir Somnath, Amreli, and Bhavnagar.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel to assess the situation and assured the Centre’s support to the state.
Although the rain has stopped in Vadodara, flooding incidents were reported in several low-lying areas after the Vishwamitri river breached its banks and entered residential localities.
Rescue efforts are ongoing, with more than 6,000 people being moved to safer locations as water levels in rivers and dams rise across Gujarat.
In response to the crisis, the Gujarat government has called for the deployment of six Indian Army columns, each in Dwarka, Anand, Vadodara, Kheda, Morbi, and Rajkot districts, to aid in relief operations.
Furthermore, 14 National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) platoons and 22 State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) platoons have been mobilised to support disaster management efforts.
