Maharashtra rains: 45 people stranded due to floods in Yavatmal; IAF choppers called in

Two helicopters of the Indian Air Force too have reached the spot to take part in the rescue operation

Yavatmal: As many as 45 people are stranded in a village in Mahagaon tehsil of eastern Maharashtra’s Yavatmal district and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) is engaged in rescue work, officials said on Saturday evening.

Two helicopters of the Indian Air Force too have reached the spot to take part in the rescue operation, they said.

---

Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said in a tweet that 45 people were stranded in Anandnagar Tanda village of Mahagaon tehsil.

The district, around 150 km from Nagpur, has been receiving heavy rains since Friday morning, leading to flooding in many areas and forcing evacuation of people.

The Mahagaon tehsil recorded 231 mm rainfall from midnight till Saturday morning while the district recorded 117.5 mm rainfall, said collector Amol Yedge.

The Painganga river which flows through the district is in flood.

Some roads in Yavatmal city were also flooded and people in the affected areas were moved to safer places, the collector said.

Around 140 people were shifted to safer places at Kasergaon village in Sangrampur tehsil of Buldhana district too.

The Regional Meteorological Centre, Nagpur, forecast thunderstorms with lightning and heavy to heavy rainfall in isolated places in Yavatmal, Gadchiroli, Amravati and Washim districts in Vidarbha on Saturday.